


Lesbian Cover Songs

by Introverted_Chaos



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Coping, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Ikki ships it, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roommates, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-04-03 16:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13999977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introverted_Chaos/pseuds/Introverted_Chaos
Summary: New town, new job, new roommate, new friends, and a new start for Asami Sato. But what happens when the new roommate's best friend ships you with the roommate? Korrasami Small Town AU.





	1. Airport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami meets a pair of weirdos at the airport.

“ _Headed your way_ ,” Asami texted as she shouldered her carry-on bag and made her way through the airport terminal. 

“ _OMG cant wait 2 meet u!_ ” came Ikki’s reply. “ _U want coffee?_ ”

“ _Sure_ ,” she texted back, “ _iced chi latte_.”

“ _Cool, c u soon!_ ”

Asami smiled as she slipped her phone back into the pocket of her blouse. Off and on for about a week now, she’d been texting back and forth with her new landlord Tenzin and his daughter Ikki. Tenzin and his family had already been incredibly welcoming, but Ikki was the one who seemed the most enthusiastic. Though, Asami was quickly learning that Ikki was enthusiastic about pretty much everything. 

This was it, she kept telling herself—a chance to start over. She was escaping the mess that her father had made of her life. She was escaping the financial backlash, the hate, and the death threats that came with his crimes and mistakes. She was escaping the professional nightmare that her career became in the wake of accusations that she’d been involved in her father’s fraud and embezzlement charges. And she was escaping her ex and other fair-weather friends who’d bailed as soon as things got tough for her. Asami was putting all of that behind her. This was a new start in a new town on the opposite end of the country. She was someplace where no one knew or cared who she was or who her father was and wouldn’t judge her for that. 

Granted, she smiled to herself, teaching Business Communications and Introduction to Mechanical Engineering courses at a community college in the unlikely named central-Washington town of Republic City was a criminal waste of her talents. 

But at least she was free. 

A bizarre sight awaited Asami as she stepped off the escalator leading to the pick-up and drop-off area. A sixteen-year-old girl held a sign over her head with Asami’s name on it, dancing to whatever song was playing on her iPod. The girl had dark-brown hair with dark-purple forelocks framing her elf-like face. She wore a rainbow bracelet, R2-D2 earrings, jeans, and a black tee-shirt that read, “Tell your mom thanks for breakfast.” Other people around gave the girl strange looks and a wide berth. 

“Hi, I’m Asami,” Asami greeted, smiling and extending her hand as she approached. “You must be Ikki. It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

Ikki’s eyes widened as she looked up at Asami and removed her ear buds. 

“ _Oh my god_ , you’re so pretty!” she squealed, rushing past Asami’s hand to hug her. Asami frowned and awkwardly patted Ikki’s back.

“Thanks. I’m… glad you think so…” Asami trailed off, unsure of whether to return the hug.

“Will you be Korra’s girlfriend?” Ikki blurted, looking up at her. 

“What?” Asami frowned again. 

“Will you _please_ be Korra’s girlfriend?” Ikki begged, stepping back and looking genuinely panicked that Asami might say no. She took Asami’s right hand in both of hers and looked up pleadingly. “Korra, your new roommate—I think my dad, Tenzin, told you about her—she’s getting us coffee right now. I really, _really_ , think you should be her new girlfriend. She’s so pretty and nice and amazing and you’re pretty and nice and amazing, too. She’s my best friend ever, and I love her _so much_ , and I really want her to find a girlfriend who’s as amazing and pretty as she is. So _please_ will you be her girlfriend?”

“Well, I haven’t even met Korra yet, so it’s hard to say,” Asami answered, trying to placate her. “But since Korra and I will be living together, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of chances to get to know her better. We’ll see how things develop, alright?”

“Well, okay, but please, _please_ consider it,” Ikki urged. She grabbed Asami’s right hand and dragged her across the terminal. “Korra went this way to get our coffee. Let’s go find her so you can fall in love at first sight and play videogames together and fall asleep on the couch and get married and make out in the hot tub and–and _oh my god_ ,” she turned around excitedly, walking backward and pulling Asami with her. “Just think of how cute your _babies_ will be!”

Asami wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh. “Um, if we’re both girls we can’t exactly—”

“No, _false_ ,” Ikki insisted, turning back around. “They are _working on_ that technology!”

“If you say so,” Asami chuckled in spite of herself at Ikki’s determination. A few passersby gave them puzzled looks. Asami didn’t really blame them. 

“There’s my trusty sidekick!” Ikki declared as they neared the airport’s cute little cabin-themed coffeehouse. “See, that’s Korra,” she pointed to a woman around Asami’s age, leaving the coffee place with a recyclable drinks tray. “Isn’t she pretty?” Ikki whispered loudly to Asami. “Did ya fall in love yet? Huh? Are ya ready to show Korra the magic of _romance_?”

Asami had to admit that Korra was kind of hot. Athletic and fairly muscular, she wore a light-blue tank top and dark-blue work jeans with a Seattle Mariners baseball cap over short, dark hair. 

“What’s that about the ‘magic of romance’?” Korra asked as she walked up, extending her free hand. “Hey, I’m Korra,” she greeted. “You must be Asami.”

“Lovely to meet you,” Asami smiled, releasing Ikki’s hand to accept Korra’s. “This little one’s been really selling you up for the last few minutes.”

“Isn’t she pretty, Korra?” Ikki insisted as Korra handed out drinks. Ikki had what looked like either a raspberry or cherry Italian soda while Korra’s latté smelled of caramel. “You two should totally be girlfriends and get married!” Ikki gushed.

Asami somehow managed not to choke on her latté. 

“Ikki!” Korra scolded, frowning. 

“It’s alright,” Asami assured her. “I’m sure Ikki tries to set you up with every pretty girl you meet.”

“Actually, no, this isn’t like her,” Korra said, scowling thoughtfully at her young friend. “Normally she’s super critical of anyone I take an interest in.”

“That’s because none of them were Asami!” Ikki insisted. “I mean, look at her.” She gestured to Asami with both hands, glaring as if Korra was the most clueless person on Earth. 

“I mean, I suppose she has a point,” Asami added, mostly to cut through the awkwardness. 

“Yeah,” Korra admitted, scratching at the back of her head. “You are super pretty.”

“Thanks, so are you,” Asami smiled back. She learned in that moment that Korra had a very lovely blush. 

“Yes! _Oh, my god_ , you two are so freaking cute!” Ikki squeaked. 

“We should probably go get the rest of your luggage,” Korra suggested, still looking sheepish. “Luggage pickup is this way.”

“Lead on,” Asami smiled, rather enjoying watching Korra’s back. 

“Those two matching dark-grey suitcases,” Asami pointed them out on the turntable when they arrived at pickup minutes later.

“Got ‘em,” Korra assured her, handing her latté to Ikki and picking up a suitcase in each hand. “Oh, these aren’t as heavy as I’d expected,” she frowned, sounding disappointed at how easily she lifted them off the conveyor. 

“Hehe, can’t show off as well that way?” Ikki asked, smirking bigger. “Not as much of a gun show as you were expecting.”

“I only needed clothes for two or three days until the movers bring the rest of my stuff,” Asami assured them. “Tenzin said you had an air mattress I could use until my bed gets here.”

“Yeah, it’s already set up in the living room, but we can move it, easily,” Korra said, leading the way through the automatic doors. 

“We had Opal and Jinora over to watch all of the _Toy Story_ movies the other night,” Ikki explained, skipping through the doors behind Korra. “Oh, I know! We should totally have them over again next weekend, but with Asami. And we can move the couch and recliners together and use some blankets to make a fort. And we can make popcorn and brownies and cocoa. And we can watch _Return of the Jedi_ or _Return of the King_ or maybe have a _Mario Kart_ tournament instead! Or we can—”

“Alright, I get it, loquacious one,” Korra laughed. 

“Does… Ikki live there, too?” Asami frowned as she followed them into the parking garage. 

Korra laughed again. “It almost seems that way, sometimes,” she agreed. “It’s about a ten-minute walk and a four-minute bike ride from our place to her family’s. She comes over regularly and tries to stay the night every chance she gets.”

“You’re way cooler than my sister and brothers,” Ikki shrugged, skipping to a halt beside a navy-blue ’67 Mustang Hardtop. “Shotgun!” she hollered, running around to the passenger door and trying to open it despite it being locked. “Open the door, Korra!”

“I’ll get right on that,” Korra answered, setting down one suitcase. She held her keys up and made a passable imitation of a keyless-entry chirp while pushing the nonexistent unlock button. 

“Didn’t work,” Ikki informed her, still fiddling with the door handle. 

Asami chuckled as Korra shook her head and unlocked the trunk on the Mustang. The trunk honestly looked too small for her suitcases, but Korra fit both in without issue. The Mustang intrigued Asami. It was in good condition but not perfect condition—a few minor scratches and dents and a paint job that was at least twenty years old. It was a six-speed manual transmission as well, and Asami was pretty sure she remembered the base-model ‘60’s Mustangs all having automatics. And the stereo with CD player and MP3 hookup _definitely_ wasn’t original. 

“Sweet ride,” she commented as Korra shut the trunk. 

“Thanks, though it’s technically my dad’s,” Korra said, leaning against the bumper. “Grandpa had one just like it back when Dad was a kid. Dad was about seventeen when my uncle wrecked it—lost control on an icy road and wrapped it around a power pole. Uncle was fine, but I guess losing that car broke Grandpa’s heart more than he let on. Dad bought and fixed up this one for Grandpa for his sixtieth birthday, then inherited it back when Grandpa died a few years later. I drive it now because Dad’s too tall to fit comfortably in the driver’s seat.”

“Hey!” an impatient voice piped up before Asami could reply. “You gonna unlock this or not?”

Korra chuckled and shook her head again as she circled to the passenger side. “You’re in the back, Ikki,” Korra told her as she opened the door. “I don’t care that you called ‘shotgun.’”

“Ugh, but there’s no leg room back there,” Ikki protested. 

“Exactly, and Asami’s got a lot more leg to find room for,” Korra pointed out. 

Ikki turned and looked at Asami’s knee-length skirt. “Yeah, fair point,” Ikki decided, turning back to hand Korra their drinks. “But I’m only doing this because I believe in the preservation of rare and priceless works of art,” she added as she climbed in the back seat. 

“Set this in the seat beside you, Ikki?” Asami asked, handing her carry-on bag back behind the seat. 

“Got it,” Ikki said, taking the bag. She made a show of buckling a seatbelt around it. Reaching a hand out, she accepted her drink back.

“Oh, thanks,” Asami raised her brows as Korra extended a hand to help her into the car. “What a gentlewoman.” The seats weren’t as comfortable as Asami was used to, but there was a ruggedness to the old Mustang that she found appealing. Korra climbed in the driver’s side and set her latté in a portable cup-holder that clipped to the center console. 

“What kinds of music do you like, Asami?” Korra asked, sitting in the driver’s seat and plugging her smart phone into the MP3 hookup. 

“Most kinds,” Asami shrugged, sipping her coffee. “I’ve got songs and artists I like and don’t like in most genres.”

“Here,” Korra offered, handing Asami the smart phone. “I’ve got a couple-dozen playlists, so take your pick.”

Asami skimmed the playlist titles as Korra started the car and backed out of her parking spot. Korra indeed had a diverse set of playlists. One was labeled “Celtic Rock,” another “Outlaw Country,” another for “Classic Rock,” and another for “Gaming Soundtracks.” Other lists were titled after activities, such as “Road-Trip Tunes” or “Workout Tunes” or “Reading Music.” Yet others were named after people she knew, such as “Dad Tunes,” “Bolin Jams,” or “Ikki Songs.”

“Do I dare ask what ‘Ikki Songs’ consists of?” Asami asked, largely to get to know her two new friends better. 

“Oh, yeah!” Ikki insisted. “We _totally_ have to play my list!”

“It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive,” Korra admitted. “So there’s time to play a decent chunk of it.”

“What kind of songs are on it?” Asami asked while Korra pulled out of the parking garage. 

“Love songs, mostly,” Korra shrugged, “and from lots of different genres.”

“But there’s a theme to them,” Ikki said. “See if you can guess what it is. And you have to sing along to all the ones you know. It’s the rules.”

“Alright, I’ll try it,” Asami decided, pressing the playlist. 

The first song was the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” Though she knew most of the words, Asami just listened to Ikki and Korra belt out the lyrics. Korra in particular had kind of a pleasant singing voice, and both of them bobbed their heads about as they sang.

The next song was Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” followed by Garth Brooks’s “That Summer.” Asami continued to just listen as she pondered what theme they had in common. Her first clue came during Janis Joplin’s rendition of “Me and Bobby McGee,” when Ikki and Korra both sang “I let _her_ slip away,” instead of _him_. Asami felt her lip twist as she pondered the implications. 

The next song was “The Star of the County Down,” by an Irish folk band Asami wasn’t familiar with. But during Chris Ledoux’s “Look at You, Girl,” she noted a change in the lyrics again during the chorus when both her new friends sang “I’m an ordinary gal” instead of “ordinary man.”

Asami laughed as she realized Ikki and Korra weren’t actually singing the songs themselves, they were singing _lesbian covers_ of the songs. She didn’t know the words to Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel so Young,” but the next song on the list was Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon.” 

Grinning and taking a chance, Asami joined in the song, belting the lyrics with them. When the song got to the line “He’s not your kind,” she replaced “he” with “she” right on cue. Ikki cheered, and Korra laughed and gave Asami a quick high-five. 

The stories these songs told became so much more fun and interesting when sung this way, Asami decided. When Brad Paisley’s “Mud on the Tires” came on, Asami laughed, visualizing two lesbian cowgirls bouncing around in a new Chevy 4X4. Dean Martin’s “Standin’ on the Corner” became a story of a shy girl fantasizing about the pretty girls she saw walking about. Ray Kennedy’s “What a Way to Go” was instead about a humorous, self-deprecating butch sitting in a bar and laughing about her failed romances. 

And Jennifer Saunders’s cover of “I Need a Hero” became the more fun—if slightly awkward to sing—“I Need a Heroine.” Instead of a “streetwise Hercules” it was a “streetwise Amazon” fighting the rising odds, and a “super-girl” sweeping her off her feet. 

Asami spent most of the drive laughing or singing along to the songs that she knew. It was such a silly, geeky little game, and she wondered how Korra and Ikki came up with the idea. Asami honestly couldn’t recall when she’d ever had more fun hanging out with two other girls. 

She decided that she really liked these two weirdos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ikki is kind of fun to write. 
> 
> Chapter 1 of a new AU. Not sure how long this one will be. Feedback is most welcome!


	2. New Friends and Vegetarian Lasagna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami gets to know some of her new family. Emotional backstories ensue.

“I hope you’re not feeling overwhelmed,” Jinora said as she joined Asami on the deck outside of Tenzin and Pema’s kitchen. 

“A little bit, but it’s not a bad kind of overwhelmed,” Asami admitted, smiling to reassure her as they leaned against the railing. “I’m an only-child whose parents were only-children,” she explained. “So I’m not used to large-family dynamics. It’s nice, but there’s bound to be an adjustment period. I just needed some space for a couple minutes.”

Inside she could hear Ikki and Meelo singing BNL lyrics as they washed dishes. Over in the driveway, Tonraq, Senna, and Tenzin leaned on Tonraq’s blue F-150, sipping beer and discussing local politics, none of them seeming to have a high opinion of Republic City’s mayor. Tenzin was apparently a former member of the City Council, and Senna was currently on the local school board. 

“I can go back inside if you’d rather be alone,” Jinora offered. 

Asami smiled at that. “It’s alright,” she assured her. “I don’t mind the company.” Asami had to admit that where Ikki was adorable, Jinora was gorgeous. Slim and elegant and nearly as tall as Asami, Jinora was a world-class beauty and had intelligence and introspection to go with it. 

“Korra told me you’re back from college,” Asami said, hoping to make conversation. “Political-science major? How’s that going?”

“Really well,” Jinora smiled. “I just finished my second year. I got close to a full-ride worth of scholarships to San José State.”

“Nice! Somehow I can see you in a leadership position when you get older,” Asami nodded her approval. “Want a pro-tip from a long-time student?”

“Sure,” Jinora shrugged. 

“If it’s not too late, consider looking into getting a minor or an Associate’s Degree in Communication,” Asami suggested. “Communication or English are both excellent minors to look into, regardless of what major you’re pursuing. Effective communication is one of the most important skills you can demonstrate to a prospective employer.”

Jinora seemed to brighten at the suggestion. “Thanks! That’s actually a really good idea. Though,” she added, grinning a bit smugly, “given that you _teach_ Business Communication, that suggestion could come across as self-promotional.” 

“You want my pro-tips or not?” Asami snarked back playfully. 

“I can see why Ikki won’t stop talking about how amazing you are,” Jinora smiled, leaning over to nudge their shoulders together. “And I think you’ll make a great roommate for Korra.”

“Thanks,” Asami smiled back. 

Through the kitchen window she heard Meelo tapping out a rhythm with a spoon and humming a rock melody that Asami recognized but couldn’t place right away. She laughed and Jinora snorted as Ikki started in with Aerosmith lyrics. 

“ _Backstroke lover always hidin’ ‘neath the covers, ‘till I talked to my moms and they say_ ,” Ikki belted out, adding an impressive amount of Steven Tyler growl for her voice range. “ _They said, you ain't seen nothin’ ‘till she’s down on your muffin, then you're sure to be a-changin’ your ways. I met a cheerleader—_ ”

“ _What_!” Meelo interrupted, shouting and sounding exasperated. “ _Oh my god_ , not everything has to be _gay_ , Ikki!”

“If it’s not, then I need to try harder!” Ikki shouted in reply. 

“Ugh, can’t you at least _pretend_ to be normal?!” Meelo groaned. 

“ _Walk this way! Walk this way!_ ” Ikki screamed at him. 

“Hey, hey, you two,” Korra’s voice interjected. Through the window Asami saw her take them both aside, quietly lecturing them. 

“Sorry you had to hear that,” Jinora murmured, grimacing. “I promise it doesn’t happen as often as it used to.”

“Meelo isn’t comfortable with his sister being gay?” Asami frowned. 

“It’s… complicated,” Jinora admitted. “Ikki is pretty open about being gay. While most of the kids in her grade are mostly chill about it—a lot of them weren’t really surprised when she came out, in fact—Meelo gets picked on because of it by some of the kids in his grade and kids a little older. He doesn’t always handle it well. And it’s not her being gay that bothers him—I mean, our aunt is gay, too—it’s how open she is about it. But Korra’s been helping him learn to stand up for himself better. Him and Ikki and… well, all of us really, she’s done a lot for all of us.” 

“I can tell your family thinks an awful lot of Korra,” Asami agreed, watching Korra hug both Ikki and Meelo. 

“I’ve known her all my life—she was born the same day Grandpa Aang died, so everyone used to joke that he was reincarnated as Korra. Not really in her personality, but in her connection to our family,” Jinora added, as if to clarify. “Korra is… Korra is our fucking superhero.” She seemed to laugh at herself. “Sorry, I don’t normally swear, but I can’t think of a better way to emphasize. She’s the most selfless person I know and possibly the toughest as well.”

“That’s… impressive praise,” Asami admitted, turning back to her. “You almost sound like she rescued your family from a city-destroying, giant killer robot or something.”

“No, nothing so dramatic,” Jinora laughed. “No, she’s just always been there for us, supporting us. Korra’s the only babysitter we ever had besides Aunt Kya and Uncle Bumi, and she’s stood up for all four of us kids at different times, and she encourages us to be ourselves and to stand up for ourselves. We went to most of her football and softball games when she was in middle school and high school—she was always such an incredible athlete.”

“Wait… Korra played football?” Asami asked, tilting her head. “As in, _varsity_ football?”

“Yep! Cornerback,” Jinora nodded, grinning. “Best defense in the state, her junior year. Korra at cornerback, Bolin at outside linebacker, and Mako at safety: they allowed fewer passing yards than any team in Washington. She got two interceptions and a sack in the state championship. She’s just so incredible; I don’t know what we’d have done without her.”

Asami frowned at the way Jinora phrased that. “You… say that like it almost happened,” she hazarded. 

“Korra might not… actually, probably _wouldn’t_ be with us today if she wasn’t as physically and emotionally strong as she is,” Jinora admitted quietly, staring at the lawn. “That summer before her senior year, Korra got hit in a crosswalk by a drunk driver. It… was really, really bad.”

“Oh my god,” Asami whispered, covering her mouth. 

“She–she managed to shove Uncle Bumi and Kai out of the way, so they only ended up with bruises and Uncle fractured his right elbow, but Korra…” she trailed off, barely stifling a sob. “They… the doctors don’t even know how she survived the impact, let alone the trip to the hospital.”

“I’m sorry,” Asami whispered, taking her hand. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jinora shook her head. A teardrop in the corner of her right eye suggested she was fighting back a host of bad memories. “Korra graduated a year late because of it,” she went on. “She couldn’t walk for almost eight months after the accident and still has PTSD from it. What should have been her senior year was spent in rehabilitation and physical therapy. She was going to go to college on a softball scholarship and maybe even a football one. And after college she was going to join the National Guard. And all that changed—her whole life changed—because one stupid, drunk redneck decided to get behind the wheel of an SUV.”

“Is she better now, though?” Asami asked as Korra and Ikki sang a lesbian version of Rosanne Cash’s “Seven-Year Ache” from the kitchen. She smiled at the lines, “ _The boys say ‘when is she gonna give us some room;’ the girls say ‘God, I hope she comes back soon.’_ ”

Pema chuckled something along the lines of, “You two are so bad.” 

Meelo grumbled something about not knowing either of them. 

“Yeah, I think Korra’s a lot better than she was a few years ago,” Jinora assured her. “She still can’t run much at all—her back and legs just can’t handle the repeated impact from running or even jogging. But she still swims a lot and she can ride a bicycle just fine if she’s not going very fast.

“Before she moved out, Opal confided that Korra still has nightmares sometimes and wakes up hyperventilating, though,” she admitted. “She’ll usually go for a walk or take a shower or meditate to calm herself back down. I mean, she’s not one-hundred percent—and might not ever be—but she’s learned to deal with it, you know?”

“I feel kind of guilty now,” Asami admitted, looking glumly across a field at the neighbors’ house. “Things have been bad for me the last few years, but other than a few fair-weather friends, about all I really lost was money. But all of my frustration and self-pity feels… _misplaced_ now, knowing what Korra’s been though.”

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Jinora admonished quietly, sliding an arm about Asami’s shoulders. “Just because someone else might have things worse doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be frustrated and feel sorry for yourself.”

“Hey! Quit flirting with Korra’s girl!” an indignant Ikki-voice protested, its bearer hugging Jinora from behind and blowing a raspberry into the back of her neck. 

“Oh my god, you’re weird,” Jinora muttered, shaking her head but not really trying to escape. “Wait… did you just call Asami ‘Korra’s girl’? I don’t know whether to scold you for being rude or to be surprised you’re not calling her _your_ girl.”

“Don’t be dumb, Jinora,” Ikki disagreed. “Asami’s too tall for me.”

“But you’re taller than Korra… you know what, never mind,” Jinora rolled her eyes. “I know better than to try to figure out your logic.”

“It’s because you know you’re no match for my superior logic faculties,” Ikki asserted. 

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s not it at all,” Jinora assured her.

* * *

“Dinner was lovely, Pema, thank you,” Asami said, taking her hand. “I’ve never had vegetarian lasagna, but yours was delicious.”

“ _Kooo-rra_! Let me go!” Rohan protested as Korra attached Naga’s leash to his belt loop. 

“I’m glad you liked it, sweetie,” Pema assured her, squeezing Asami’s hand in both of hers. “We’ll try to have you over again soon.”

“Korra, will you _please_ stop trying to pull Rohan’s belt loops off?” Tenzin sighed, rubbing his temple. 

“Me? I’m just holding on; _he’s_ the one doing all the pulling,” Korra objected.

“And maybe you can leave Korra at home next time,” Pema added, rolling her eyes. 

“It was good to meet you, Asami,” Tonraq said, shaking her hand in turn. “Welcome to our odd little family.”

“Thank you for letting me be a part of it,” Asami said, blushing a little. She didn’t normally find older men attractive, but she admitted that Tonraq wore a _nice_ pair of Wranglers. 

It was another few minutes before they finally made it out the door. Asami got a hug from Ikki and handshakes from everyone else. With the leash finally attached to Naga’s collar, Korra and Asami walked back to their place. Behind them, they heard Tonraq’s pickup leave the driveway, headed in the other direction. 

Lined mostly with hayfields and pastures, Tenzin’s side of the street didn’t have a sidewalk, so they had to cross the road—with no crosswalks—to use the sidewalk on that side. The walk led in front of a subdivision with dozens of lots still bare and several incomplete homes. The house Asami and Korra now shared was in an older neighborhood just down the road. Tenzin apparently owned and rented out several homes in both neighborhoods. 

“She’s such a beautiful dog,” Asami commented, patting Naga’s shoulder. “I meant to ask, is she white pyrenee?”

“Yep! Naga’s a sweetheart,” Korra grinned. “We call her my polar bear pupper.”

Naga barked happily at the sound of her name. 

“Is she hard to feed?” Asami asked. “A dog that size has to go through food pretty fast.”

“Yeah, a little bit,” Korra admitted. “I’d love to get her a more nutritionally balanced dogfood, but there’s no way I could afford it, as fast as she’d go through the stuff. I have to buy the cheap crap down at the co-op.” 

“I can do it,” Asami offered. “Tomorrow we’ll do some research, see what kind of food is best for her breed and weight.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Korra shook her head. “I mean if you want to go halfsies with me and get her a little better stuff, that’s fine, but you don’t have to pay for one of those expensive, top-of-the-line diets—I mean, I’ve looked into it, and it could easily cost like three-hundred bucks a month.”

“That’s okay, I can afford it,” Asami assured her. “And I can tell Naga’s worth it.”

“Wow… that’s really cool of you,” Korra said as they turned into their neighborhood. “I hope this isn’t a rude question or anything, but are you wealthy or something?”

“Kind of, I guess,” Asami grimaced a little. “Definitely not like I was, but the cost of living is way cheaper here, so I can get by pretty easily in Republic City.”

Korra nodded. “What happened, do you mind my asking?”

“I don’t mind,” Asami shook her head. “My dad was cofounder of a small, but successful mechanical-engineering firm, back before I was even born. Him and his partners built it pretty much from the ground up; they worked mostly in automotive design, but also dabbled in certain types of small-airplane engines. Then, about two and a half years ago, Dad got arrested on multiple accounts of fraud and embezzlement. He’d been stealing millions from his own company.”

Korra hissed, wincing. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, between the legal battles and his former partners muscling me out of the business, it’s been a bad past couple years,” Asami agreed. “I went from being worth almost thirteen million to being worth barely two million.”

Korra seemed to mull that over for a moment, as they approached the house. “If it helps,” she offered, fishing her keys out of her pocket, “two million still puts you in probably the top-twenty wealthiest people in Republic City—maybe even in the top ten.”

“Oh,” Asami frowned, feeling her privilege suddenly as Korra unlocked the front door. “I didn’t know that.”

“So, how come you’re renting from Tenzin, when you’re richer than he is?” Korra laughed as they entered. 

“Well, to start with, smart-aleck, I didn’t know I was richer than my landlord until you said something just now,” Asami snorted, following her into the kitchen. “But mainly, I just want my life to be quiet for a while. The last two years have been hell for me, and I just want my life to slow down and be less stressful. Buying and maintaining a house are just something I didn’t feel like dealing with right after a big move.”

“I can get behind that,” Korra nodded, rinsing and refilling Naga’s water dish. She set the water back on the floor beside the food dish. “Need something to drink?” she asked as Naga lapped noisily at her water. “We’ve got lemonade, milk, hard cider, or I can put some tea on.”

“Cider sounds fine, thanks,” Asami answered. 

Korra grabbed a pair of ciders from the fridge, using a wall-mounted bottle-opener to pop the caps off. “Here ya go,” she said, handing Asami a bottle as they headed down into the basement. 

The basement was cozy and carpeted, with a couch and two recliners fanned out around an entertainment system, complete with stereo, flat-screen, Blu-ray player, and multiple Nintendo consoles. A weight set was stacked next to a stationary exercise bicycle. Asami’s new room was to the right of the stairs, adjacent to a storage closet and the downstairs bathroom. 

At the foot of the stairs, Korra suddenly turned to give Asami a hug, stretching a little to get her chin on Asami’s shoulder. Though startled, Asami returned the hug, not expecting how badly she’d needed one. “Thank you for being so awesome with Ikki today,” Korra murmured. 

“Were you expecting me not to be?” Asami asked, frowning as they released each other. 

“Not necessarily, but not everyone takes to her right away,” Korra told her, walking over to sit on the couch. “Ikki’s pretty eccentric—and pretty outspoken about it—so not a lot of people really warm up to her, especially so quickly.”

“Their loss,” Asami decided, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. “I mean, yeah, I can see how she might take some getting used to, but I do genuinely like her. I can tell she’s a sweet, creative, caring, and passionate person, and anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve her as a friend.”

“Hah, I like how you put that,” Korra grinned, taking another long sip. “Mm,” she murmured suddenly, as if remembering something. “I meant to say, I got a text back from Opal earlier—she and Bolin are on for breakfast in the morning if you’re still in.”

“Sure, sounds lovely,” Asami agreed, taking a drink.

Naga ambled down the stairs a moment later, curling up in front of the couch between them. 

“You said Opal’s your previous roommate?” Asami asked. 

“Yeah, she moved in with Bolin a couple weeks ago, and they’re getting married at the end of the month,” Korra explained. 

“Oh, good for them,” Asami nodded. 

“Wanna be my date for the wedding?” Korra offered. 

“I’d love to,” Asami smiled. 

“Cool,” Korra nodded. She laughed as if remembering something. “I’m Opal’s maid-of-honor,” she explained. “Meanwhile, Bolin’s brother, Mako, is the best man. I dated Mako back in high school.”

Asami couldn’t help but laugh. “Nice! So you’ll be walking down the aisle with your ex-boyfriend. I hope you two are on good terms.”

“Oh, definitely,” Korra assured her. “We’re better as friends than as a couple. Our lives went in different directions after he graduated—I think the only reason we stayed together so long and tried to make the long-distance thing work was because he didn’t want to break up right after my accident.”

“Mm, Jinora told me about your accident,” Asami grimaced. “In Mako’s defense, I can see why that would feel like an uncomfortable time to break up.” 

“And I guess the breakup was more uncomfortable than it should have been,” Korra admitted. “But we both had a lot of growing up to do. And to be fair, going to college half a continent away while your girlfriend is in a wheelchair and undergoing rehabilitation isn’t the easiest way to conduct a relationship. We managed to stay on good terms, though. He’s in the navy, currently stationed at Okinawa and married to a nice gal he met in college while in the ROTC. Their kid’s about a year-and-a-half now, if my math is right.”

“My last breakup may have been ugly, but at least it was simple,” Asami reflected. “He was basically just a fair-weather boyfriend who ditched when things got bad for me.”

“Mm, those are the worst,” Korra agreed. “But if it helps, Asami,” she added, reaching over to take Asami’s hand, “there’s not one person you met today who didn’t immediately like you. And they all liked you without knowing about your dad or knowing that you have money.”

“That does help. Thanks, Korra,” Asami smiled, squeezing her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just to clear things up, I'm not trying to make Meelo come across as homophobic. His character is probably around 11 or 12 in this story, and so he's still figuring out sexuality in general. Plus, he's at an age where he's under a lot of peer-pressure. I feel like given that he's being told by his peers that sexuality has to be one way, and he's seeing something that deviates from this in his own sister, to me it makes sense that Ikki's sexuality is something that he'd be uncomfortable with and sometimes get defensive about. More than anything, I want to leave readers with the impression that it's something he's adjusting to and will accept better once he's a little more mature. As always, feedback is most welcome!


	3. Muffins and Mario Kart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast and basements and late-night talks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being way longer than I'd intended. Almost as long as the previous two chapters together. Also, don't bother looking for Sokka's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' parody on YouTube. I made it up for the purposes of this story. Feel free to look up Spike Jones, however.

“Sleep okay?” Korra asked as Asami came up the stairs the next morning.

“Yes,” Asami assured her. “That air mattress is surprisingly firm, and the basement stays warmer than I expected.”

“Good! Did you figure the shower out okay?” Korra asked.

“Yeah,” Asami chuckled. “Like you said, there’s a pretty narrow line between way too hot and not quite warm enough. But I got it figured out. Thanks for warning me about that.”

“Cool,” Korra nodded, donning a Seahawk’s cap. “Ready to go?”

“Yep!” Asami nodded back, following her into the garage. Once again Korra opened the passenger door for her. “Always the gentlewoman,” Asami smiled, accepting Korra’s hand as she climbed in.

“I think I could fall in love with this car,” Asami commented as Korra sat down and started the Mustang. “I mean, it’s not exactly a muscle car, but I enjoy the rumble of that engine.”

“It’s nice getting to use it. This time of year I normally ride my bikes most places,” Korra admitted, indicating her eighteen-speed Mountain Tamer and ’03 Kawasaki Ninja. “And in the wintertime I prefer my old Forerunner. You have any wheels, Asami?” she asked as she backed from the garage.

“Just my Vespa,” Asami told her, watching the neighborhood waking up around them. It was recycling day, she noticed, seeing recycle bins out in front of most houses. A few neighbors seemed to be moving about, getting ready for their work days. “I sold my cars before I moved—figured that would be easier than trying to transport them.”

Korra nodded. “Makes sense. A scooter will work great for the summer, if you don’t mind riding in the rain half the time. But come wintertime you’ll need something that handles the heavy rain and snow better.”

“What do you recommend?”

“Manual transmission, front- or four-wheel drive, and good snow tires,” Korra suggested. “I recommend a vehicle with at least one of those options, two is better.”

“I’ll look into it, thanks,” Asami agreed.

Korra parked the Mustang in a parking lot a short walk down the street from the restaurant. The parking lot sat adjacent to a charming little teahouse called the _Jasmine Dragon_. A pair of octogenarian ladies sat at a table on a patio out front.

“I know those sexy gals!” Korra laughed, trotting over to hug the nearest old lady.

“Korra, how are you?” the closest lady said, standing to hug her.

“Oh, great, you again,” the second lady grumbled as Korra stepped over to hug her in turn. It took Asami a moment to realize that the second lady was blind—all of them were wearing sunglasses, and Asami didn’t notice the cane propped next to the table right away. “Good morning, twinkle-toes,” she said as she patted Korra’s arm.

“Love you too, grumpy-pants,” Korra laughed, standing and turning back to Asami. “Asami, meet two of the most amazing ladies in the whole world. This is Katara, Tenzin’s mom, and this is Toph, grandmother of my former roommate, Opal. Toph, Katara, this is my new roommate, Asami.”

“I feel like I already know you, Asami,” Katara admitted, smiling and taking her hand. “Ikki wouldn’t stop talking about you on the phone last night.”

“Thanks, it’s lovely to meet you as well,” Asami replied, squeezing her hand.

“I hope you’ve got an understanding sense of humor if you’re gonna hang with this outfit, girl,” Toph warned Asami, shaking her hand in turn. “My granddaughter was just here with that gum-flapping dipstick she’s marrying,” she informed them, sipping her tea. “You’re meeting with them?”

“Yeah, I saw Opal’s Jeep over there,” Korra nodded. Asami glanced back at the metallic dark-green Wrangler parked a couple spaces from Korra’s Mustang. “We’re having breakfast at Daw’s.”

The rumble of a motorcycle engine interrupted their conversation. Asami turned to see a tallish man pull into the nearby parking lot on a beautifully restored Indian Chief Black Hawk. The man dismounted and took off his helmet, revealing him to be probably in his eighties, white hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

“Sokka!” Korra shouted, rushing over to embrace the old guy.

“Great, now the head weirdo is here,” Toph commented, setting down her tea.

“Korra!” Sokka laughed, hugging her back. “You’re looking as mighty as ever today. Who’s your gorgeous friend?”

“Sokka, meet Asami, my new roommate,” Korra introduced. “Asami, this is Sokka, Katara’s brother and Tenzin’s uncle. He’s also a retired minister at our church.”

“Enchanted,” Sokka smiled, bowing and kissing Asami’s hand. His bow was fairly comical: a rigid, heels-together, Charlie Chaplin-style bow. Distantly, Asami suspected Sokka’s exuberance was a strong influence on Ikki.

“I’m pleased to meet you as well,” Asami nodded politely. “And that’s a beautiful Indian Chief. 1950 Black Hawk, if I’m not mistaken?”

Sokka raised his brows and grinned. “Very good! Beautiful, elegant, and motorcycle-savvy— _alas_ , if I were but sixty years younger—”

“She’d still be out of your league,” Toph interrupted.

“Won’t disagree with you there,” Sokka laughed.

“It’s so good to see you outside of church, buddy,” Korra smiled, giving Sokka another one-armed hug. “I’d love to chat, but Asami and I have a breakfast date with Bolin and Opal, so we should probably get to that.”

“Don’t let me keep you,” Sokka assured them.

“It was lovely to meet all of you,” Asami told them as she and Korra continued down the sidewalk.

 _Daw’s Express_ turned out to be a modest little breakfast-and-lunch eatery just down the street from the _Jasmine Dragon_. There were two four-person tables out front, a six-stool counter next to the kitchen, and three four-person tables in the main room. The tables bore blue cloths, and paintings by local artists hung from the walls.

“I know Daw pretty well; he graduated with my mom, plus Jinora worked summers here during high school, saving up for college,” Korra explained as they entered. “Then she got all those scholarships her senior year and ended up not needing quite so much money. On the plus side, all that saved money lets her rent a nicer apartment than she could have otherwise.”

“Korra!” a stocky young man waved from a window table. Beside him waved a young woman with short, dark hair.

“Hey, you guys!” Korra laughed, stepping up to hug each of them. “Good to see you! Asami, these are two of my best pals, Opal and Bolin,” she introduced them. “Guys, this is my new roommate, Asami.”

“It’s great to meet you,” Asami said, offering her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too," Opal smiled. 

“Opal’s a local representative for a veterinary pharmaceutical company,” Korra explained as they accepted Asami’s handshakes. “To this day, her younger brothers like to tell people that their big sister sells drugs.”

“They never seem to tire of that joke,” Opal said, rolling her eyes.

“Bolin teaches geology out at RHS, and he and I are assistant coaches for the football team,” Korra continued, gesturing to Bolin.

“Go Fire Ferrets!” Bolin grinned.

“And I understand you’re teaching out at the community college?” Opal asked as they sat, Bolin and Asami taking the window seats.

“Thanks, Korra,” Asami nodded as Korra got the seat for her. “And yes, I’m teaching mechanical engineering and business communications,” she confirmed.

“Oh, cool,” Bolin nodded. “Good luck with that!”

“This looks like a dangerous group,” a new voice spoke up. Asami looked over as their server approached with four iced waters and laminated, tri-fold menus. He was around nineteen with a wavy, dark-brown undercut. “Should I be worried the RCPD is gonna show up?” he grinned as he passed out the menus.

“Only for assault with intent to wet-willy if you don’t watch yourself,” Korra retorted, slugging his arm. “Kai, this is Asami, my new roommate. Asami, meet Kai,” she introduced, turning toward Asami. “He’s Jinora’s… well, not really ex-boyfriend, but not really boyfriend, either.”

“We’ve kind of stepped back while she’s in college,” Kai explained, scratching his head. “We still care about each other and all, but the long-distance thing wasn’t really working, and… I dunno—it’s complicated. Anyway, nice to meet you,” he offered, extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” Asami nodded, accepting the handshake.

“So, what’s everyone want to drink?” Kai asked, getting out his pen and pad.

“Chai tea and an orange juice,” Opal ordered.

“Cup of joe,” Bolin said.

“I’ll have coffee as well,” Korra nodded.

“Coffee, and I think I’d like an orange juice as well,” Asami decided.

“Alrighty, I’ll be right out with those while you look over the menus,” Kai told them before turning to leave.

“So, what’s good here?” Asami asked, glancing over her menu. The prices were less than half what she’d expected to pay, but she acknowledged that she was also used to far ritzier places.

“Daw specializes in pancakes and waffles, but frankly I like my mom’s better,” Korra admitted.

“I also like her mom’s pancakes better, but that’s still what I’m gonna order,” Bolin said.

“Pancakes, waffles, and French toast all come with a side of bacon and scrambled or fried eggs,” Korra continued, pointing it out on the menu. “There’s a decent selection of omelets that all come with hash browns and toast, muffin, or cinnamon roll. I’m not a huge fan of the biscuits and sausage gravy, but Bolin and my dad really like them.”

“The sausage patties and hash browns are also pretty good,” Bolin added.

“Or you can just do a regular eggs, bacon, and toast, if you wanna go simple,” Korra said.

“Alrighty, drinks are here,” Kai declared as he approached with a tray. “Three coffees,” he said as he passed them out. “Two orange juices,” he passed those out as well. “And one chai tea,” he finished, placing the cup, hot water, and teabags in front of Opal. “Know what we want for breakfast?” he asked, raising his pen and pad again.

“Yes, Bolin and I want to split a large order of blueberry pancakes,” Opal said, handing over their menus. “Bacon and scrambled eggs with that.”

“Alright,” Kai nodded, scribbling that down.

“I’ll take your Italian-style omelet,” Korra told him, meaning the one with the sausage, ham, diced pepperoni, diced olives, bell peppers, dried tomatoes, and Italian seasonings. “And I’ll have a cinnamon roll for the side.”

“Got it,” Kai said before turning to Asami. “And you?”

“I’ll have a ham-and-cheese omelet,” Asami decided. “Would you recommend a muffin or a cinnamon roll with that?” she asked the others.

“Muffins here are a little bigger than a regulation softball,” Bolin explained, making a circle with both hands to illustrate the size. “My favorite’s the apple-crumble muffin. Cinnamon rolls are almost four inches thick and as big around as a kid’s tricycle tire. They’ve got cream-cheese frosting and plenty of cinnamon and sugar.”

“Both sound really good,” Asami admitted. “I’ll try the apple-crumble muffin, then.”

“Okie-dokie,” Kai nodded, taking the order. “Will this all be on separate checks?” he asked.

“I’ll get ours,” Opal said, raising a hand as if to keep Bolin from objecting.

“I’ll get mine and Korra’s,” Asami offered.

“You don’t have to do that,” Korra assured her.

“No, but I want to,” Asami replied. “You bought coffee and picked me up from the airport yesterday—buying breakfast this morning is the least I can do.”

“Okay, your orders will be out shortly,” Kai told them, turning to leave.

“He seems like a nice kid,” Asami commented, sipping her coffee. Used to fancy blends, Asami found the ungarnished black coffee kind of refreshing.

“Kai turned out okay,” Korra nodded. “He had kind of a rocky childhood, but he turned out alright.”

“Kai was adopted by a local family when he was about ten,” Bolin explained. “He was a troubled kid, though. Apparently his biological family was a… bad situation. He brought a lot of his bad habits with him, including some stealing and shoplifting habits. He kept getting into fights about it with his adopted parents and tried to run away a couple times.”

“I was the one who found him the second or third time he tried to run away,” Korra added. “Instead of taking him straight home, I took him to the rec center to play basketball with Mako and Bolin. It took a bit, but we got him to open up about what was troubling him—about how dishonest and abusive his biological parents were, about how he was struggling in school and wasn’t making friends, that kind of thing. So we kind of adopted him into our group and helped him reconcile with his adopted family. Jinora—who is one of the sharpest human beings I’ve met—volunteered to tutor him in subjects he was struggling at in school. Kai still tells people that Mako, Bolin, and I probably saved his life that day.”

“Wasn’t the last time you saved his life, either,” Bolin added, pointing his coffee at Korra. “I mean, you pushed him and Bumi out of the way of that SUV that one time.”

“I… yeah, I guess there was that, too,” Korra said, looking away and hugging herself.

“Ugh, you know better than that,” Opal scolded Bolin, swatting the back of his head. She stood and stepped around the table, kneeling beside Korra as Korra shivered, her breath catching. “It’s okay, sweetie,” Opal murmured, hugging Korra. “Just breathe with me, okay?”

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Bolin apologized, frowning and looking embarrassed and nervous.

Asami suspected that, as Korra’s previous roommate, Opal had a fair bit of experience calming Korra and recognizing when she was struggling with her PTSD.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Asami asked. She felt a hollow anxiety in the pit of her stomach, seeing her new friend hurting emotionally. She started to reach for Korra’s shoulder but decided against it, uncertain of how to help.

“It’s okay; I’m fine,” Korra assured them, her breathing visibly evening out. “Thanks, Opal,” she murmured.

“C’mon, let’s get you some fresh air,” Opal suggested, standing and helping Korra to her feet.

“Yeah. Okay,” Korra nodded as Opal led her outside.

“What’s that about?” Kai asked as he returned, watching them step out the door.

“I wasn’t thinking and mentioned her accident,” Bolin sighed, looking away guiltily. “I was just trying to point out what a hero she is and what she means to all of us.”

“Dude, you should know better,” Kai scolded. “Look, we all think Korra’s a hero, but you gotta be careful about that kind of thing. You weren’t there, alright? To you it may seem badass that she saved my ass and Bumi’s, but you didn’t see what happened. You didn’t see her smashed up on the asphalt, like I did.” There were tears at the edges of Kai’s eyes as he sat in Opal’s seat and gripped Bolin by the shoulders. “You didn’t have one of the people you admire most take a fucking Durango for you, okay? You didn’t stand aside, comforting your sobbing girlfriend while the closest person she has to a big sister is laying on a stretcher and being loaded into an ambulance, with broken bones, ruptured organs, internal bleeding, and almost zero chance of survival. Just… think before you mention that around her, okay?” he pled, hugging Bolin.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,” Bolin murmured.

Asami just sat with her hands in her lap, no idea what to say.

Korra looked calmer when she and Opal returned a moment later. “Everything alright?” Kai asked, giving Opal her chair back.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Korra assured him.

“Is everything alright in here?” Opal asked, looking from Kai to Bolin as she and Korra sat down.

“Yeah, I scolded your boyfriend and told him to smart-up for a change. Nothing big or unusual,” Kai said, shaking his head. “Anyway, looks like there’s some people at the outside table. Your food’ll be out in a couple more minutes,” he added before turning to the door.

“So you said Tenzin’s uncle Sokka was a retired minister?” Asami asked to change the subject.

Korra grinned and nodded. “After he became a minister, he made friends with a priest and a rabbi just so the three of them could go golfing or hang out in public together—which should tell you a lot about his sense of humor.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s a hoot,” Bolin grinned. “He’s also a YouTube star!”

“Hah, yeah, I remember that,” Korra laughed. “Are you familiar with Spike Jones, Asami?”

“Um, yes, I think so. He’s a movie director, right?”

“No-no, you’re thinking of Spike Lee,” Bolin corrected. “Spike Jones and his City Slickers were kind of a goofy parody orchestra from the ‘40s and ‘50s. They’d do wacky stuff like play the ‘William Tell Overture’ with cowbells or sing serious songs with silly voiceovers and slapstick sound effects. They’d have different actors and actresses sing different songs in weird voices. We’ll have to have you listen to some of their stuff sometime.”

“Anyway, there’s a video on YouTube of Sokka singing Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as a Spike Jones conglomeration,” Opal explained, nodding enthusiastically.

“Yeah, we’ll have to show it to you!” Korra said, grinning and looking relaxed again. “He sings it karaoke-style, but has a cowbell, a duck call, a slapstick, and a cap gun. He starts with this mock-serious, Doodles Weaver announcer voice, but then when he gets to the ‘Mama, just killed a man’ verse, he adds in the cap gun sound effect and sings it in this creepy, Peter Lorre-style mad-scientist voice. And, like, when he gets to the ‘I’m just a poor boy’ part, he takes on this squeaky, kid’s voice like in the ‘All I want for Christmas’ song—y’know, I’m probably not describing it very well. Hang on; I’ll see if I can find it on my phone.”

They were interrupted suddenly by a quirky chime from Opal’s phone. “Text from Mom,” Opal frowned down at the screen. “She knows we’re having breakfast, I wonder what she…” Opal trailed off, her eyes widening and hand grasping her mouth as she stared at the screen. “ _Oh my god, oh my god_ ,” she said, voice a combination of a squeal and a giggle. “Kya and Aunt Lin _eloped_!” she squeaked.

“Wait, serious?” Bolin asked, eyes widening as he leaned over to look at the screen.

“Totally serious!” she confirmed. “Apparently, Aunt Lin proposed two days ago. Kya accepted, then suggested they elope.”

“That explains it,” Korra laughed. “At dinner last night, Pema commented that she hadn’t been able to get ahold of Kya in a day and a half. Does it say where they are?”

“Lin texted Mom from Lincoln City, over on the Oregon Coast,” Opal said, grinning. “Apparently they’re taking a road-trip down the west coast for their honeymoon.”

“That’s one slow road-trip,” Korra commented, raising a brow. “Lincoln City’s not even a six-hour drive, and they’ve been gone almost two days.”

“Oh my god, is Grandma Toph still over at the _Dragon_?” Opal asked, sitting up straight.

“She was when we went by,” Asami told her.

“Katara and Sokka were there too,” Korra added.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back!” Opal said as she got up from her chair and hurried out the door.

“I’m getting the impression that this is even more monumental than it seems on the surface?” Asami asked, watching Opal leave.

“Lin and Kya are in their fifties but never married,” Bolin explained.

“Not to people, anyway,” Korra added. “You could argue that they were both married to their work.”

“Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it,” Bolin agreed. “Lin’s never been a people-person, and the only one I know of who she ever dated was Tenzin—and that was over thirty years ago. She threw herself into her work with the RCPD and eventually made chief. A couple years ago she went into semi-voluntary retirement after Mayor Raiko forced a bunch of changes she didn’t agree with, then blamed _her_ to the press when they didn’t work out. He pulls crap like that all the time, then manages to convince voters it was someone else’s fault when it fails, rather than that it was a dumb idea in the first place.”

“Kya, meanwhile, traveled the world as a photographer, taking pictures of places and people and wildlife and all sorts of cool stuff for different magazines,” Korra continued the narrative. “Jinora and I will have to show you some of her pictures sometime, they’re really good. Kya’s super gay, too, and has hooked up with women from Scotland, Costa Rica, Spain, Austria, Sudan, Greece, India, China, Australia, to name a few. When she was in Turkey, she even _traveled to_ the island of Lesbos and slept with a woman there, just so she could tell people she slept with a literal Lesbian—if that tells you anything about her sense of humor. She took an early retirement and moved back to Republic City after Aang died, though. I heard she felt bad that she couldn’t make it back in time to see her dad again before he died, so she wanted to spend as much time with her mom as she could.”

“Huh. I didn’t know the part about Lesbos,” Bolin raised his brows. “And you’re right, that does fit with her sense of humor.”

“Kya started hanging out with Lin a few years after moving home,” Korra continued. “She started taking Lin to concerts and sports events and church stuff and family functions—that sort of thing. I was a little young to remember, but everyone who remembers agrees that that kind of socialization did Lin a lot of good. After a few years, it was like they were inseparable outside of Lin’s work. They even started taking vacations together—and Lin _never_ takes vacations.”

“No one seems to know when they started hooking up, but Su once said that you can always tell when Lin’s gotten laid because of how much less uptight she gets,” Bolin added.

“I mean, Lin will probably always be an aloof, introverted loner, but everyone agrees that her disposition improved immeasurably from her relationship with Kya,” Korra concluded. “It’s kind of a weirdly sweet love story.”

“Well cool, I’m glad that’s working out for them,” Asami said as she sipped her coffee. “Hopefully I’ll get to meet them soon as well.”

Opal returned a few moments later, grinning and chuckling. “Grandma’s response was ‘Hallelujah! It’s about damned time those two nerds got married!’” she told them, shaking her head.

“She’s right,” Korra agreed, lifting her mug in a brief toast. “Hopefully they’ll have a reception or something when they get back.”

“Hope we’re not overwhelming you with exposition and backstory, Asami,” Bolin offered, clinking his mug with Korra’s.

“It’s kind of refreshing,” Asami assured them. “I’m used to being around closed-off people—or at least around people used to keeping their work lives and home lives entirely separate. And since most of my friends were professional acquaintances—coworkers, clients, and such—I rarely got to know much about their personal lives. It’s nice being around people who are comfortable sharing so much about themselves and their friends and families.”

“I’m glad things are looking up for you,” Korra toasted, raising her mug to Asami.

“Things are definitely looking up,” Asami smiled, clinking their mugs together. “Things are… things are good.”

Things were good. Breakfast was good. The omelet wasn’t the best she’d eaten, but was still quite good. The apple-crumble muffin was warm, moist, and tasty. And the couple bites she tasted from Korra’s cinnamon roll were heavenly.

Things were good now.

* * *

“Um, yeah, racing physics don’t work that way at all in real life,” Asami commented, involuntarily leaning into a turn as blue sparks flew from her orange princess’s tires. She rounded a corner to jump a boiling lava pit with fireballs leaping from it.

“Meh, it’s a cartoon game. It’s gonna have cartoon physics,” Jinora assured her, racing a pink-hatted character who vaguely reminded Asami of ‘80’s versions of Strawberry Shortcake. Maybe like a Lego version of the ‘80’s Strawberry Shortcake?

“ _Gah_! Stupid Yoshi blocked my shell!” Ikki grumbled. “I’m having the worst luck tonight, I– _gah_! Peach, you _bitch_!” she hollered as a green shell made her monkey’s car spin out of control. The foe in question laughed as she sped by on a pink motorcycle shaped like a dolphin.

“Moooom, Ikki’s swearing!” Rohan accused loudly, despite that they were in Korra’s basement while Pema and Tenzin attended an FFA fundraiser. His racer was a lanky, mustached-villain archetype with a creepy snicker.

“ _Aah_! Enough with the blue shells, Rohan!” Jinora half-shouted as a blue explosion engulfed her racer.

Rohan just mimicked his racer’s laugh.

“Ah, _Mario Kart_ : ruining friendships since 1992,” Korra’s voice commented from the top of the stairs.

“Korra: also ruining friendships since 1992,” Rohan sassed back.

“Sounds like _someone_ doesn’t want ice cream,” Korra threatened mildly as she and Meelo came down the stairs, arms loaded with six bowls of ice cream and various fixings.

“I’m sorry! I take it back!” Rohan backpedaled as he looked over from his chair.

“This race about over?” Korra asked. “We’ve got rocky road ready!”

“Yeah, basically over,” Ikki grumped. “No way I’ll catch up now.”

Despite the blue-shell setback, Jinora managed to keep first place. Rohan moved up through the pack to come in second, Asami took fourth, and Ikki took fifth. Out of twelve racers, fourth place felt like an acceptable finish to Asami.

“Not bad for your first race,” Korra commented, handing Asami a bowl. “How’d you like your first foray into console gaming?”

“It doesn’t work at all like real racing, but once I figured the mechanics out, it got a lot easier,” Asami explained, spooning up a dollop of Cool Whip onto her ice cream. “And in this game ‘playing against the course’ has a more literal meaning.”

“You say that like you’ve done some real racing,” Jinora commented, accepting the sprinkles shaker from Meelo.

“Not competitively, but I’ve test-driven actual racecars,” Asami admitted as they ate their ice cream between races.

“That’s so cool!” Ikki gushed. “Seriously, Korra, if you don’t marry this girl, I will!”

“Does it never occur to you that that’s rude, Ikki?” Jinora scolded.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Asami assured them both. “I know how much Korra means to you four, and that Ikki ships me with her is kind of flattering.”

“ _I hear those ice cream bells and I start to drool_ ,” Ikki belted the Weird Al song as she ate. “ _Keep a couple quarts in my locker at school. Yeah, but chocolate’s getting’ old; Vanilla just leaves me cold. There’s just one flavor good enough for me, yeah me! Don’t gimme no crummy taste spoon, I know what I need!_ ”

“Had to’ve known this was coming,” Meelo shook his head.

“ _Baby, I love rocky road, so weren’t you gonna buy half a gallon, baby_ ,” Ikki continued, ignoring him. Asami noted, however, that she was clearly impersonating Joan Jett’s voice, rather than Weird Al’s. “ _I love rocky road! So have another triple scoop with me, OW!_ ”

“You’re pretty good with voices, Ikki,” Asami commented. “Is that something you’ve practiced a lot?”

“Oh! Yeah, I’ve been in drama classes since middle school—I practice different voices all the time,” Ikki grinned. “Oh my god, you totally have to come to our show in November! Our drama class is doing a musical version of _Benny and Joon_ , and I’m totally going to audition to play Sam, except as a gay, gender-swapped version! I’m even gonna cut my hair short to look like Johnny Depp, and Uncle Bumi has an old felt hat that I’m gonna borrow that looks just like the one from the movie. It’s gonna be so awesome! Please, _please_ will you come?”

“Absolutely!” Asami laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Oh my god, you’re the best ever!” Ikki gushed, setting her bowl down and leaning over to hug Asami. “I love you so much; I’m so glad you moved here,” she said, her face half-buried into Asami’s shoulder.

“I’m glad too,” Asami assured her, hugging back with one arm.

As they finished their ice cream, Asami looked up as Meelo started tapping a beat with his spoon and humming a vaguely familiar melody.

“ _Jitterbug_ ,” Korra and Rohan sang on beat.

Ikki and Jinora started bobbing their heads and shifting their shoulders back and forth to the beat.

“ _Jitterbug_ ,” Korra and Rohan sang again.

“ _You put the boom-boom into my heart_ ,” Ikki and Jinora sang together, belting out the Wham! lyrics. “ _You send my soul sky high when your lovin’ starts. Jitterbug into my brain, goes bang, bang, bang till my feet do the same._ ”

Asami laughed and clapped to the beat while Meelo, Korra, and Rohan tapped their spoons and hummed different parts of the background music.

“ _Wake me up before you go-go; don’t leave me hanging on like a yo-yo. Wake me up before you go-go; I don’t want to miss it when you hit that high_ ,” Ikki and Jinora kept singing, dancing their shoulders back and forth in unison. “ _Wake me up before you go-go, ‘cause I’m not planning on going solo. Wake me up before you go-go, take me dancing tonight._ ”

“ _I wanna hit that hiiiigh!_ ” Ikki sang at the end of the chorus.

It was about the only Wham! song Asami knew, and she didn’t know it all that well, so she just clapped and listened as the others sang. In a way the song was more fun knowing that Ikki was singing it as a lesbian cover. It really was a cuter song, imagining two girlfriends out dancing together, then cuddling under the blankets afterward.

Asami found herself falling further in love with these people as they sang. It was clear this wasn’t this basement’s first impromptu singalong.

Partway through the second chorus, the television chirped suddenly as a new race started. Rohan smirked, holding his controller up.

“Rohan, you brat!” Jinora shouted as the others scrambled for their controllers.

Rohan snickered in his racer’s villain laugh once again.

* * *

“Everything alright?” Asami asked, peeking around the corner from the top of the stairwell.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Korra said, looking over from beside the microwave, a cup of tea revolving on the turntable. White tank-top and navy sweatpants somehow made perfect sense as Korra’s bedclothes. “Sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t,” Asami assured her, stepping into the kitchen. “I got up to use the bathroom and heard you moving around.”

“Nothing big,” Korra turned to her. “Had a bad dream and hoped a little lavender tea might calm me down a bit.”

“Jinora confided that you still have bad dreams from your accident,” Asami said, stepping over to lean against the counter next to her. “Want to talk about it?”

“No… I don’t know, maybe?” Korra shook her head. “You know, the nightmares I’ve learned to deal with. The depression, I’ve learned to deal with. I know they’re not going to go away. I’ve got my antidepressants, and I know what coping mechanisms work for me.

“But the hardest, most frustrating part do deal with even today is how everyone quit believing in me,” Korra admitted, looking back at the floor. “Before the accident, I was a hometown hero. People in the RCPD and our fire department kept telling me I should come work for them after college. And then after my accident, no one believed I was good for anything anymore. I mean, no one cared how hard I was working to get better. No one seemed to get that learning to walk again was harder and took more effort than all of my football and softball training put together. I was just this local pity case. Everyone wanted to talk about how great I once was and what I ‘could have been,’ but not what might become of me instead. I mean, yeah, my friends and family were super supportive, but I wasn’t anyone’s hero anymore.”

“I know better than that, Korra,” Asami whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not hard to figure out that Ikki completely idolizes you. And Jinora specifically referred to you as their ‘superhero’ the other night. As for me, I’ve known you for barely a day and a half, and I already think you’re a wonderful, strong, and amazing person. And I’ve never seen you play football or softball.”

Korra gave Asami a sad smile and turned to hug her. “I’m going to stop you there,” she murmured next to Asami’s ear as they held each other. The timer for the microwave went ignored. “I know you’re trying to help me feel better, and I appreciate it. Thank you,” Korra assured her. “But you’re not telling me anything no one else has. You’re trying to correct me on how you think I should feel and offer advice without knowing the whole context. Please don’t.”

“Alright,” Asami agreed.

“Just hold me.”

“Alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the best things I'm learning about fan fiction is that you can still play with characters who've died in canon. (If I'd thought of it sooner, I could have easily included Aang in he story as well.) Sokka was a fun--if brief--addition to this story, and while I don't know if he'll show up later, it was fun to experiment with him as an older guy. Hopefully I did his character justice. For those not familiar with Spike Jones and his City Slickers, you can find videos of his stuff on YouTube and elsewhere. I like to think Sokka would appreciate his brand of slapstick humor. 
> 
> Kya and Lin eloping was another spur-of-the-moment decision that I decided to run with. Theirs might be my third-favorite LoK ship (after Korra/Asami and Korra/Opal), and this is despite that we never see them interact in the show. 
> 
> Thanks, as always, for reading folks! Feedback is always welcome! My apologies to anyone with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" stuck in their heads.


	4. New Family and Old Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikki's crush moves back to Republic City. Asami's new people throw her a backyard cookout. Asami learns more about Ikki's shipping rationale and comes to an agreement with Korra.

“ _Her long blond hair was flowing, and she smelled like sweet perfume_ ,” Ikki sang, working out new lyrics in OneNote as the old T.G. Sheppard song played on her laptop. “ _When I laid the groceries down she said, ‘You don't have to leave so soon. A woman sure gets lonely when her man’s gone off to fight.’ She reached out for my trembling hand as teardrops filled her eyes, then she said—_ ”

“Ugh, I hate that song,” Jinora complained, sprawled on her bed and not looking up from her Kindle. “It makes all these misogynist assumptions that women are naturally going to be unfaithful while their husband is off fighting, implying she’ll shack up with any dumb teenaged boy delivering groceries.”

“Oh, I know,” Ikki agreed. “Plus that shitty line about how ‘women had nothing to do’ completely ignores the important roles women played in the workforce and the military during wartime,” she added. “But _my_ version is going to be better because it’s _gay_. See, it’s now about this butch girl delivering the groceries—and who _isn’t_ a minor, unlike the boy in the song.”

“I’m sure that will make all the difference,” Jinora replied. Her voice sounded neutral, but Ikki could almost hear her eyes rolling.

She’d pulled up the song’s lyrics on Google when her phone chimed a text message. “Oh my god!” she squeaked, seeing the name. “It’s Aria!”

“Really?” Jinora asked, raising her brows as she finally looked up from her screen.

“ _Hi Ikki_ ,” the message read.

“ _Miss u so much babe_ ,” Ikki texted back, setting her laptop aside. “ _U ok? Haven’t heard from u in soooo long!_ ”

“ _Miss u so much 2!_ ” Aria’s message came back. “ _Good news! My dads got custody of me back!_ ”

Ikki squeaked and covered her mouth, feeling tears at the edges of her eyes. “ _OMG!_ ” she replied. “ _U moving back?_ ”

“ _@ ur front door!_ ”

Squealing and weeping, Ikki dashed from their bedroom, barely registering Jinora’s “What’s going on?”

Running to the front door and throwing it wide open, Ikki wept harder, seeing her friend again after over a year. Aria smiled and waved shyly, as tall and pretty and butch as ever. She wore a work-shirt, jeans, and t-shirt, her golden-brown hair tucked into a WSU cap.

Sobbing with joy and surprise, Ikki grabbed Aria in a fierce hug, clutching her tight as she could. She felt Aria’s arms around her, squeezing equally tight.

Aria was crying as well when they finally stepped back. “ _I missed you so much, babe_ ,” Aria signed, smiling that wonderful, freckly smile.

“ _I missed you too!_ ” Ikki signed back.

“ _Did you miss me too?_ ” Jinora signed, stepping around Ikki.

“ _Maybe a little_ ,” Aria replied, grinning and hugging her next.

“ _So are you back for good?_ ” Jinora asked, the hug nowhere near as long or emotional as Ikki’s.

“ _I think so_ ,” Aria assured her, grimacing a little. “ _Hopefully Mom will forgive me someday—I’m still trying to forgive her, to some degree. Grandma will probably never forgive me, but I stopped trying to please her. I just wish Mom would stop trying to please her as well._ ”

“ _She’s the worst_ ,” Ikki scowled, remembering her handful of encounters with Aria’s grandmother. The woman was arrogant, manipulative, and genuinely evil.

“ _At least Mom’s heart was in the right place_ ,” Aria grimaced sadly as she signed. “ _At least she believed she was trying to help me. I think Grandma just wanted to hurt Dad. Step-dad, meanwhile, is pretty much just a controlling bastard. They kept badgering Mom, ‘They have the technology to fix that now! There’s no excuse for Aria to be Deaf.’ Well, I’m_ not _‘broken.’ I don’t need to be ‘fixed.’ And my Deafness isn’t a malady that needs curing._ ” She scowled as her signs became more agitated. “ _Being Deaf is a part of who I am and part of the culture I belong to. Nobody’s sticking tiny speakers in my ears or cutting a hole in my head and attaching wires to my brain._ ”

“ _I was so worried about you when I heard your dads lost custody of you_ ,” Ikki signed. “ _I still think that homophobic judge and your grandma’s homophobic lawyers should lose their jobs for what they put you and your dads through._ ”

“ _I’m just happy to be back_ ,” Aria signed, smiling and giving Ikki another hug. “ _How’s your family doing?_ ” she asked after the hug.

“ _Really good_ ,” Jinora signed. “ _Mom and Dad keep busy. Gran-gran and Uncle Sokka are still getting around really well. Our little brothers are still butts._ ”

“ _I don’t expect that to ever change_ ,” Aria signed, laughing that sincere, undeveloped laugh that Ikki had always loved. “ _How’s Korra?_ ” she asked next, using Korra’s name-sign: closed hands on both sides of the face to represent the wolf-tails that were part of Korra’s old haircut.

“ _Korra’s great!_ ” Ikki assured her. “ _We’re having a housewarming party for her new roommate here in a little bit. You should totally come with us!_ ”

“ _Opal moved out?_ ” Aria asked, frowning.

“ _Oh! You must not have heard_ ,” Jinora informed her. “ _Opal moved in with Bolin. They’re getting married in a couple weeks._ ”

“ _Oh my god! Will you be my date for the wedding?_ ” Ikki asked. “ _I need someone to dance with!_ ”

“ _God, yes!_ ” Aria laughed, nodding and signing. “ _I have a super-cute pantsuit that I’ve only worn once. Totally looking for an excuse to wear it again!_ ”

“ _I wonder if it’s too late to have you perform a song or something at the wedding,_ ” Jinora mused. “ _If she’d known you’ll be there, I’m sure Opal would have suggested it_.”

“ _That’d be okay,_ ” Aria shrugged. “ _At least Grandma didn’t take my instruments away, so I kept in practice._ ”

“ _We could have a sax duet!_ ” Ikki suggested, practically bouncing at the thought. “ _You on tenor and me on alto, we could totally perform something cute and romantic at the wedding! And then without warning follow it up with ‘Yakkity-Sax’ or 'Louie Louie'!_ ”

“ _God, I missed you,_ ” Aria signed, smiling as she tucked one of Ikki’s dyed forelocks behind her ear.

* * *

“My dad was the one with all the good, chilling war stories, really,” Sokka told Asami, popping the cap off his Guinness. “He was stationed aboard the _USS Colorado_ during World War II and saw action all over the Pacific. Me, my service to our country was aboard the _USS Helena_ during the Korean War. All we did was escort carriers around and occasionally fire our guns inland. There were a few intense moments when we took fire from shore artillery, but it’s nothing compared to Dad’s stories about the Marshall Islands invasion and surviving a pair of _kamikaze_ strikes.”

“Frankly, Grandma Kya’s home-front stories were more interesting than your war stories, Uncle,” Bumi admitted as he helped Korra crush cashews for the broccoli salad. Asami liked Bumi so far. A retired Marine, he seemed to have a lot of wild stories of his own to tell.

“What kind of ‘home-front’ stories?” Asami wanted to know, helping Bolin sweep up kibble from where he’d upturned Naga’s supper dish.

“Bumi’s being facetious,” Sokka shook his head. “But if you really want an example, Katara and I grew up on a tiny farm in east Oregon. During the war, with most of the farm-hands off fighting, they’d sometimes bring in German and Italian POWs to work the fields, since there was a camp not far away. When they were working close by, a lot of times Mom would make a huge pot of soup and haul it out to the fields for them. Katara and I would help serve up soup and give it to the prisoners during their lunch. The guards didn’t care, so long as they got a bowl too. Katara and I got to hold their guns and pretend to guard the prisoners. They weren’t loaded, of course—all that ammo was needed for the war effort, and it’s not like there was any place for the POWs to escape to if they tried to run. But, you know, as a ten-year-old kid who’s fascinated by planes and boats and tanks and other military hardware, getting to hold a real Thompson submachinegun for the first time was pretty exciting.” Sokka gave a distant smile at the memories.

“You’re still a ten-year-old kid who’s fascinated by military hardware,” Toph reminded him.

Korra handed the salad bowl to Bumi to mix as the doorbell rang. “That’s probably Jinora and Ikki. Jinora texted they were on their way,” she said as Asami and Bolin followed her into the living room. “She said they had a surprise for me,” she explained, reaching for the door.

“Hey,” Kuvira greeted instead, waving with one hand and balancing a vegetable tray with the other. She’d changed into a green, short-sleeved blouse and black slacks since this morning. Asami saw her motorcycle parked behind Opal’s Jeep.

“Welcome back, babe,” Korra greeted, taking the veggie tray and giving Kuvira a one-armed hug.

“And thanks again for helping move my stuff this morning,” Asami added, accepting Kuvira’s handshake.

“Not a big deal,” Kuvira assured her.

“You had a lot less stuff than we expected,” Korra agreed. She handed the tray to Bolin, who turned and took it to the kitchen. “I called in all this muscle to help out, but there wasn’t all that much work to do.”

“I got rid of almost anything that made me think of my dad,” Asami admitted, looking away and grimacing a bit. “In retrospect, it seems kind of silly, but at the time I needed that… that…” she trailed off, searching for the right word.

“ _Catharsis_ , maybe?” Korra suggested. “Or _closure_?”

“Either of those might work,” Asami agreed, looking over as more people approached their walk. “Oh, here come Ikki, Jinora, and Pema. Who’s that with them?”

Korra frowned at the newcomer, tilting her head. “Is that Aria?” she asked, eyes widening. “Oh my god, it is!” She gave an uncharacteristically Ikki-like squeal and ran from the house to greet them.

“Who’s Aria?” Asami asked, turning to Kuvira. Korra clutched Aria in an affectionate hug, both of them swaying back and forth in the driveway.

 “One of Ikki’s friends who is Deaf,” Kuvira explained. “She drives tractors for Su during the summer. Or she _did_ , anyway. Her parents went through a nasty divorce over a year ago, and her mom ended up with custody of her and moved back to California. And this is despite that her dad is fluent in American Sign Language and has family who are Deaf, while her mom just took a couple ASL classes in college. I wonder if they got that mess resolved, or if she’s just back for a visit.”

Asami stepped from the front door while Kuvira headed for the kitchen. In the driveway Korra and Aria laughed and signed animatedly to each other. Though conversationally proficient in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, and Italian, Asami had never studied American Sign Language and only vaguely remembered learning the alphabet in grade school.

“Asami, come over here,” Korra waved her over. “Meet Aria, one of the coolest babes in Republic City,” she introduced, signing for Aria’s benefit. “Aria, this is my new roommate, Asami.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Asami smiled, shaking Aria’s hand.

Apparently lip-reading, Aria smiled back, replying with a series of friendly signs.

Ikki and Korra laughed as Korra interpreted for Asami. “Aria says, ‘It’s wonderful to meet you, too. And Ikki’s right, you _are_ the most beautiful woman in the world.’”

“Oh, um, thanks,” was all Asami could think to reply.

“Okie-dokie, so my dad’s out back getting the grill ready,” Korra told the others, signing for Aria. “We’ve got regular burgers and veggie burgers, teas and sodas, regular and vegetarian chili, and a variety of veggie and fruit salads. Meelo and Wing already roped my mom and Bataar Jr into a rotating _Mario Kart_ tournament downstairs—Sokka, Wei, and Kai already called next round. And when it cools off later, if anyone wants, I’ll take the cover off the hot tub.”

Aria laughed and signed something, then turned and ran to the house. Ikki hollered, “ _Hey!_ ” and took off after her.

“Aria challenged Ikki to _Mario Kart_ ,” Jinora explained as Pema took her Jell-O salad to the kitchen.

“Aria is hearing-impaired all her life, then?” Asami asked, following Korra and Jinora back to the house.

“Actually, she identifies as ‘Deaf,’” Jinora explained, holding the door for them. “That’s with a capital D.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know there was a difference,” Asami apologized.

“No big deal,” Jinora assured her. “People who identify as ‘hearing-impaired’ tend to be the ones who just want to be normal—who want to fit in with hearing society. They tend to get hearing aids or those cochlear implants and often eschew sign-language. Ones who identify as Deaf tend to avoid hearing aids and learn sign as their first language. They tend to view Deafness as a part of their identity, rather than an ‘impairment’ that needs to be fixed. There’s a whole culture and history behind it all that’s kind of cool to learn about.”

“Interesting,” Asami agreed. “You’re right: I think that would be cool to learn about.”

They entered the kitchen to Bumi and Aria signing animatedly, while Ikki filled Bolin in on one of her music projects. Pema brought a Weinhard’s over to Toph, sitting down to chat. Wei and Bataar Sr opened bags of chips to pour into serving bowls.

Asami picked up a bowl of apple slices and followed Jinora outside. She set the bowl on the serving table beside the other sliced fruit as Jinora trotted over to hug and visit with Katara. Tonraq wore a blue apron as he grilled, asking Tenzin for a reminder on the proper cooking time for vegetarian burgers. Opal helped Rohan separate the beer and sodas from one of the coolers. Huan scribbled something in a sketchbook while Suyin sipped some of the Crown Royal whiskey Bumi brought.

Her new friends. Her new family.

“Have a seat and relax, Asami,” Suyin invited, gesturing to a nearby patio chair. “You’re the guest of honor here; make other people do all the work!”

“Thanks, though it’s kind of _my_ house,” Asami laughed, accepting a Sprite from Opal and taking the seat. “Is it weird that this is my first backyard cookout ever?” she asked, popping the top. “This is considered an all-American pastime, yet I’ve never been to one.”

“Different part of the country, different culture,” Su shrugged as Asami sipped her soda. “I’ve traveled all over the US and Canada and I’m always amazed how cultures differ from state to state and region to region.”

“And even just city to city,” Asami agreed. “What made you travel all over the country like that?”

“I was a vagabond,” Su laughed at herself a bit. “Maybe I was a bit inspired by Kya, but I traveled all over the place trying to find myself. But unlike Kya who had a job and connections, I just wandered randomly—a decade too late to travel with a hippie caravan.”

Asami snorted at the idea of the tidy, clean-cut Suyin wearing beads and long, unkempt hair.

“I traveled with a carnival for a few years, and with a motorcycle gang for a few more,” Su told her, sounding a bit wistful.

“What brought you back to Republic City?” Asami asked.

“Eventually, I figured out that what I really wanted was a family,” Su admitted. “I met a brilliant architect who later became my husband. I bought a farm north of Republic City using my inheritance from my grandparents. Bataar designed our ranch house, the barns, repair shop, and other buildings. I’ll have to invite you out, sometime,” she offered. “I think you might like it.”

“I’ve never been on a farm, but as a mechanical engineer, I’ve always been somewhat curious about farm machinery,” Asami admitted. “Korra said that Kuvira pretty much manages the entire operation?”

“More or less, yes. Some of our employees call her a dictator, but that’s just because she’s so passionate about her work,” Su explained. “Korra drives combines for me during wheat harvest,” she added. “Aria ran equipment for us part-time for a couple years, and hopefully she will in the future, now that she’s back.”

“Kuvira mentioned something about that,” Asami nodded. “Is she… is Aria signing to Toph?” she asked, watching Aria’s hands move atop Toph’s upraised palms. Aria took her hands away as Toph signed something in reply.

“Yep, that’s exactly what they’re doing,” Su told her. “Mom’s always had a soft spot for Aria. She gives just about everyone she meets a hard time, but Aria is one of the few people she treats with complete respect. It’s kind of cute to watch.”

“So, am I the only one here who doesn’t know sign language?” Asami wondered aloud.

“Korra, Ikki, and Jinora are probably the most proficient here,” Opal told her, leaning on the back of Su’s chair. “We actually have two prominent local families where Deafness is hereditary, so RHS and the college both offer courses in ASL. I think like almost a third of Aria’s family members are Deaf. So there’s a lot of interest in ASL classes from locals who associate with her family and from businesses that her family frequents.”

“And yet Kuvira said the divorce judge gave Aria’s mom full custody,” Asami mused, frowning.

“The judge was a homophobic creep,” Su explained. “Aria’s dad is bisexual and took up with another man after the divorce. Her mom’s lawyers used that as leverage to get custody taken away from him. The judge and lawyers’ office got bombarded with angry letters from the community following the hearing, but by then the damage was done.”

Su smiled as Aria gleefully rushed over to give Naga a hug. “But she seems to be okay from her ordeal,” she added.

Asami chuckled as Naga barked and licked the side of Aria’s face. Aria gave a low-pitched, murmuring laugh, and Asami distinctly heard her say “Naga” amid her laughter.

“Next round of the _Mario Kart_ tournament must be starting,” Opal observed as Meelo led Wei and Kai back into the house.

“I may wait a few rounds before getting in on it,” Su commented. “I don’t feel like having to compete with Senna and Sokka.”

“Are they that good?” Asami asked, looking over, mildly surprised that Su played video games.

“Senna is _super_ competitive at video games,” Opal explained. “She’s a conscientious player at board games or card games, but put a controller in her hand and she gets pretty aggressive and plays pretty cutthroat.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say Senna’s a bad sport or a sore loser, but she gets pretty terse and white-knuckles the controller when she’s not winning,” Bolin added, stepping up to put an arm around Opal.

“Sokka, meanwhile, is a total shark at racing games,” Opal continued. “He’s really good at figuring out a game’s mechanics, and he always comes up with cunning and predatory ways to exploit them.”

“Ugh, I remember playing _Twisted Metal_ and _Gran Turismo 2_ against him on the old Play Station as a kid,” Bolin recalled, shaking his head. “He didn’t win every race, but he made winning against him feel like a heck of an accomplishment.”

“Hey, Asami,” Bumi interjected, wandering over. “I was chatting with Korra and Aria a few minutes ago, and Aria asked about starting our _D &D_ nights back up, like we used to run twice a month—”

“Ooh! That’s a cool idea!” Bolin interrupted. “Count me in!”

“Anyway, we said something to Ikki, and she urged me to invite you to come play with us,” he offered. “We were gonna try to get a campaign going this Sunday afternoon, if you’re interested.”

“I’ve never played,” Asami admitted, frowning. “What’s it like? What do you do, exactly?”

“It’s kind of like improv acting with dice and rules,” Opal explained. “You make a character who you play as, then the DM gives you a scenario and you have to react to the situation how you think the character would react. Ikki and Korra are both pretty good at making characters; I’m sure they’d love to help you design your character.”

“There’s a lot of imagination involved, and a lot of teamwork, problem-solving, and probability,” Bolin added. “Bumi’s a good DM, and if you decide you’re not really into it, he’ll come up with an entertaining way to kill your character off.”

“I guess I can give it a try,” Asami decided. _No harm in giving it a shot_ , she told herself.

“Bumi and Sokka DM down at the Senior Center a couple times a week,” Su added. “It’s entertaining watching them get a bunch of octogenarians in wheelchairs get fired up about slaying orcs and zombies. But it gives those old folks something to look forward to, and all that acting and critical thinking helps keep their minds sharp.”

“It’s kind of cute to watch, really,” Opal agreed. “A couple of the old ladies even wear wizard’s hats and robes with their Coke-bottle glasses.”

Asami chuckled at the thought of two little old ladies sitting in their wheelchairs while hunched over their dice and rulebooks.

“So we can count you in?” Ikki piped up, appearing suddenly from behind Bumi.

“Absolutely,” Asami laughed, feeling the force of Ikki’s enthusiasm further lift her spirits.

“Oh my god, you’re the best!” Ikki gushed, running around Bumi to give Asami a hug. Once the hug was over, she ran over to Aria, signing enthusiastically.

* * *

“These are incredible,” Asami commented, looking at the photos on Jinora’s laptop. “Your aunt is really talented.”

“Yeah, she went to a lot of cool places and took a lot of cool pictures,” Jinora agreed.

There were photos of Connemara in Ireland and the Banyan Tree in Thailand, Masai Mara and Ipanema Beach, the Island of Rhodes and the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. One set of pictures showed the Bellagio and Riviera in Las Vegas, while another showed forests of Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park. Kya had pictures of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp and Inle Lake in Myanmar.

“Pretty wild, huh?” Korra agreed, leaning on the back of the couch. “She’s been scanning them to digital ever since she retired, and has dozens of USB drives filled with scans. Hey, can you find us the ones of those beaches near Rio, Jinora? The ‘eighties swimsuits crack me up every time.”

“Any idea how many pictures she’s got?” Asami asked, flipping through images from a kayaking tour of the Vava’u Islands.

“Tens of thousands,” Jinora estimated.

“ _So, sha-la-la-la-la-la, my lady_ ,” Ikki belted the Jay Ferguson lyrics as she skipped down the hall from her bedroom. “ _In the sun with your dress undone. Now every mile away and every day cuts a little bit deeper. I'll remember the nights in the cool sand, makin’ love out on Thunder Island_.”

“Ooh, sexy cover, Ikki,” Korra told her. “I like it. You still texting with Aria?”

“Just got done! Is Meelo still using the computer?” she asked. “Aria emailed me some of her poetry, and I was gonna print it for my scrapbook.”

“Yeah, I think he is, but you can go check if he’s almost done,” Jinora shrugged.

“ _Do-do-do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do. Hey, hey, hey, hey,_ ” Ikki went back to singing and skipping as she wandered off. “ _Goodbye, Thunder Island_.”

“Is that the Pantheon in Rome?” Asami asked, leaning forward to see the photo better.

“Yeah, the interior at about noonish,” Jinora explained. “Aunt Kya said the oculus creates some cool light effects.”

“ _Ikki, what the hell?!_ ” Meelo screamed from the other room.

“Ick! How much do you think she’s being paid to do that?” they heard Ikki laugh.

“Oh, not a good sign,” Korra murmured.

“ _Drop dead, Ikki!_ ” Meelo hollered.

“‘ _Cause Meelo watched porn, and I don’t care! Meelo watched porn, and I don’t care!_ ” Ikki sang, skipping from the computer room. “ _Meelo watched porn, and I don’t caaaaaare! Rohan’s gone away!_ ”

“ _Shut up!_ ” Meelo shouted, storming out behind her. His face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. “It’s not like _you’ve_ never watched porn before!”

“Gross, Meelo,” Jinora scolded, setting the laptop aside and standing.

“Yeah, not a good idea, buddy,” Korra added. “Those porn sites aren’t well policed for viruses and adware and stuff. You’re basically risking an STD for your parents’ computer.”

“Or at least find some classier porn,” Ikki admonished. “In real life, girls shouldn’t have to put up with being slapped around and called ‘sluts’ and ‘whores.’ That farcical garbage you’re watching reinforces a misogynist, exploitative view of what sex should be like.”

“Shut up!” Meelo grumped again. Turning, he stormed outside, slamming the door behind him.

“Not helping, you two,” Jinora sighed, rubbing her eyes with her right index finger and thumb. “Korra, you wanna go calm him down? I’m gonna run a virus scan on the computer.”

“On it,” Korra agreed, following Meelo outside while Jinora headed toward the computer room.

“What’re ya lookin’ at, Asami?” Ikki asked, trotting over to check out the laptop.

“Korra and Jinora were showing me some of your aunt’s photos,” Asami said. “Amazing work.”

“Oh, yeah! She’s so cool,” Ikki agreed, leaning over the screen and clicking for the next image. “I can’t wait for you to meet her. Aunt Kya is so pretty and nice. I think you’ll love her right away. Hey, I’ve got some pictures of hers as well. Wanna see?” she offered.

“Okay,” Asami agreed, standing. “What kind of pictures?”

“ _Seeeecret_ ones,” Ikki said, leaning in conspiratorially.

“Okay…” Asami decided, somewhat dubious.

She followed Ikki into the bedroom, where Ikki fished a USB drive from her desk. They sat on the bed as Ikki pulled her laptop over and plugged in the drive.

“Now, this is super-secret stuff, okay?” Ikki said as the USB loaded. “Only me and Korra and Aunt Kya know about these pictures. Well… maybe Chief Beifong does by now, I’ve never asked.”

“Why so secret?” Asami asked. Her eyes widened as the first image loaded.

A freckled redhead of obvious Irish descent lay nude on a bed amid sunbeams and linen sheets. Dust motes played about the sunlight as the girl arched her back, breasts in the air, eyes closed, and mouth open, as if in the throes of ecstasy. She had both hands between her legs, upraised knees obstructing whatever she was doing. Asami doubted that her climax was faked. The date in the description read August, 1981.

“That’s why,” Ikki explained.

She clicked to the next image. In this one, a pair of Brazilian women made love amid the palm shade on a secluded beach somewhere. Breasts and lips pressed together, the clutched each other’s backs, eyes closed tightly. The next image showed a Greek woman kneeling on a bed, legs opened, grinning smugly. A forth image showed two Japanese women gazing into each other’s eyes. One was nude, tenderly sliding off her lover’s kimono.

“These are beautiful,” Asami murmured as Ikki pulled up an image of two Indian women kissing, waist-deep in a steaming bathhouse. “Erotic, but aesthetically sensual at the same time.”

“Aunt Kya was the first person I came out to,” Ikki admitted, opening a photo of two Russian women grinding on a bearskin rug in the firelight. “I was scared; so many people I knew—at school or at church or on TV or wherever—talked about how it was bad and a sin for two women to love each other. And I knew Aunt Kya would understand how I felt. She showed me these pictures to show me how beautiful love between women can be. She copied them all on to a couple of USB drives for me.”

“Were these pictures for some kind of journal or magazine?” Asami asked.

Ikki shook her head. “No, these were kind of a hobby, I guess. Souvenirs she kept of different women she made love with. She traveled and took pictures for over a decade, so there’s a lot of women—like, a few hundred, and dozens of pictures of many of them. I can copy them for you, if you want,” she offered.

“No, but thanks for offering,” Asami smiled. “So you showed these to Korra, too?”

“Yeah, she’s seen some of them,” Ikki nodded. She sighed, looking down at her keyboard. “Have you given more thought to being Korra’s girlfriend?” she asked.

“I’ve thought about it,” Asami assured her. “I like Korra, and I’m not opposed to the idea of dating her, but I think we should know each other better first. Why do you want to see us together so bad?”

“Because I’m in love with Korra,” Ikki admitted, looking up at her with tears at the corners of her eyes. “Being around Korra was how I realized I like girls. She’s so amazing and kind and selfless; I love her so much, Asami, it _hurts_. It hurts knowing that I can’t be with her because she’s ten years older than me!” She gave a hiccupping sob and pressed her face into Asami’s shoulder. “That’s _not_ an insignificant age difference,” she murmured. “I love her, and I have dreams about kissing her and being with her, but I know they can’t come true. It hurts.”

The last piece fell into place as Asami held Ikki and rubbed her hair. Ikki’s obsession was more than just a teenaged girl shipping two people she liked. This was a smart and deceptively mature young woman carefully selecting Asami as the ideal partner for the woman she loved and treasured more than anyone in the world.

“Have you told Korra how you feel about her?” Asami asked, keeping her voice gentle.

Ikki nodded. “She was the second person I came out to. She held me close and let me confess my feelings. She didn’t really even say anything or try to tell me _no_ ; she just let me talk and remind myself that she’s too old for me. She–she didn’t try to tell me how to feel or that my feelings for her were wrong or bad. All she did was hold me and let me rationalize for myself.”

Asami thought back to her conversation with Korra a couple nights ago. She recalled Korra’s suggestion of not telling people how to feel, realizing it was exactly what she’d done for Ikki.

“She just held me and let me cry, just like you’re doing now,” Ikki continued. “You two are so kind and so much alike that I know you’d be great for each other. And even though I know it would hurt, it’d make me really happy to see you to together.”

“You’re a brave and selfless young woman, Ikki,” Asami told her, kissing the top of her head. “And I fully believe you’ll make an awesome girlfriend for a lucky woman, someday. Preferably one closer to your age,” she teased.

Ikki snorted and smiled a little, leaning her head on Asami’s shoulder.

* * *

Asami frowned, noticing a light on upstairs as she stepped from the bathroom. Padding up the stairs, she peered around the corner to see a lamp still on in the living room. Korra lay fast asleep, curled on the couch with Naga. Asami smiled and leaned against the doorway as she watched them sleep, Korra’s head pillowed on Naga’s shoulder.

Korra snored softly, but still audible from across the room. Her mouth hung open just enough to drool on Naga’s fur. It was so adorable that Asami had to fight to not chuckle aloud. She thought about pulling the knitted afghan from the back of the couch and tucking them both in, but the night wasn’t really all that cold.

She padded over to where they slept, switching the light off. Naga perked her ears and looked up at the sound of the switch.

“Sorry, girl, didn’t mean to wake you,” Asami whispered, crouching to rub Naga’s ears.

Naga gave a muted rumble and leaned into the ear-scratching.

“She’s so strong and beautiful and amazing, isn’t she?” Asami observed to Naga, watching Korra sleep in the dim moonlight from the window. “Ikki’s right, what’s not to love about her?”

Naga just rumbled and pressed against Asami’s hand.

“Is it weird to want to date your roommate when you’ve only known her, like, four days?” Asami murmured, sitting beside the couch. “Have you ever met someone who redefines what you look for in a significant other in ways that you hadn’t imagined were possible?” she asked Naga. “A part of me feels like I should get to know Korra better first. But another part that sounds a lot like Ikki keeps telling me to go for it. What do you think, girl?”

“Ikki said she’d be our chaperone,” Korra murmured through a yawn, one eye opening part way. “Though, she strikes me as the type of chaperone who’d _encourage_ her charges to make out.”

Asami covered her mouth in embarrassment, though she felt herself chuckle at Korra’s joke. “Sorry,” Asami said through her hand. “I thought you were sound asleep.”

“It’s all good,” Korra yawned again, stretching. She pillowed her head on her arms and smiled. “If you wanna go out, Asami, I’m a hundred-percent cool with that. I think you’re awesome and classy and really freaking pretty, and I like you a lot. But if you’re not comfortable with it, we don’t have to date just to appease Ikki.”

“But doesn’t it seem weird to date your roommate when you’ve only known her a few days?” Asami frowned, wrapping an arm around Naga’s big neck.

“Who the hell knows?” Korra shrugged. “There’re couples out there who hook up after meeting for the first time at a bar and somehow make things work out. Not a healthy option, if you ask me, but given my mostly nonexistent dating record, I’m hardly one to judge.”

“What if…” Asami trailed off, musing aloud. “What if we go on a few dates, just platonically, and see where it goes from there?” she offered, stroking Naga’s fur and pillowing against her neck.

“Sounds like an okay start,” Korra agreed.

She took Asami’s hand and pulled it to her lips, softly kissing a knuckle. They kept ahold of each other’s hands and smiled sleepily at each other across Naga’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Finally finished Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long, folks. Like the last chapter, it ended up way longer than I'd intended. 
> 
> So, by popular request, I've given Ikki a girlfriend! Aria isn't the first character I've written who is Deaf, but I normally run characters like her by my friend who is Deaf. I haven't heard back from my friend, unfortunately (she's busy this time of year), so I'm happy to accept feedback on how Aria's character comes across.


	5. D&D Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dungeons and Dragons night at Korra's! Also, Kya!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, folks! So just to clarify, I went with 3.5 Edition rules for their D&D game entirely because that's the edition I'm most familiar with. I'll confess that I haven't played in seven years, so I apologize if I goof up any of the rules. Having Aria play created kind of a weird situation, with her needing dialogue translated to and from Sign Language. I try to offer reminders that others are signing for her, but otherwise, just assume that either Ikki or Korra is interpreting for her at all times. Chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy, but hopefully people less familiar with D&D can still follow okay. Thanks again for reading, folks! As always, any feedback is welcome!

“So after spending most of the day asking around town about Lady Farina, the missing moon-elf noblewoman, your party is approached by a short, slender, shadowy figure as you step from the tavern and into the evening sun,” Ikki narrated, signing for Aria. “The figure is kinda feminine, wearing a dark-grey hooded cloak to hide her face and sporting greyish-black leather armor. The figure also carries a longsword, crossbow, and a couple short swords. ‘I wish to speak,’ the figure says. ‘You are the adventurers seeking the missing elf woman?’ Uh, Ladria, roll a Knowledge: Geography check.”

“Okay, so that’s my Intelligence modifier, plus my points in Knowledge: Geography, right?” Asami asked, looking at her ranger’s character sheet. Her character was a wood-elf huntress named Ladria, who Ikki had enthusiastically helped design. “Okay, so four points for Geography, plus two for Intelligence, plus…” she trailed off as she rolled. “Plus seven gives me a Knowledge check of thirteen.”

Ikki seemed to mull for a moment as she considered. “So you notice a slight hiss in the figure’s accent, suggesting someone more used to Undercommon than the Common tongue. Naga, meanwhile, seems leery of this figure, but not openly hostile.” She reached around the DM screen to dip a tortilla chip in the homemade salsa Bumi brought as they sat at Korra’s kitchen table. Korra had an assortment of ambient fantasy music playing on her laptop.

“Yes, that’s us,” Korra answered in her highland warrior’s gruff, authoritative voice. “Does this mean you have information for us?”

“‘Yes,’ the figure answers,” Ikki narrated for them, using some kind of DM app on her Android tablet. “‘But it is not safe for me to talk here. Follow me, please.’”

“Do we follow?” Korra asked the group, signing for Aria.

“I think so,” Sokka agreed, even as Aria made the sign for _yes_.

Aria played Amya, a Deaf Tiefling sorceress who specialized in lightning- and sonic magic. Korra’s character was Gracie, a huge, highlander barbarian who had also taken levels in fighter to gain Weapon Specialization with great swords. Her character was tall and muscular with a breastplate, claymore, and a kilt. Bumi’s character was Volio, a one-armed dwarf cleric with chainmail and a battle-axe. Sokka played Taggart, a human crossbow sniper designed off a fighter template. And Ladria, Asami’s wood elf ranger, wore light chainmail and carried a glaive and crossbow. Her animal companion was a great white wolf named Naga (at Ikki’s insistence).

But the big surprise for Asami was that Bolin had rolled a _lady_ knight: an Aasimar fighter who was working on becoming a Weapons Master with bastard swords. His character, Lady Beaucourt, was the younger sister of one of his older characters who’d died in one of Sokka’s campaigns a few years ago. Not knowing her brother was dead, Lady Beaucourt was on a quest to find him and to tell him that their parents had died and he was heir to the family estate and lordship. Bolin’s knight also had some kind of Leadership feat that allowed her a young, Halfling cohort/fiancée named Traffa, who provided crossbow support in battle and served as the lady’s squire and snuggle buddy.

And, apparently, every character in their party was either bi or gay—a house rule Ikki insisted on, and one that no one had a problem following.

“So you follow this cloaked figure northward through town,” Ikki told them, clicking on her tablet behind her DM screen as she munched on tortilla chips. “None of the elvish townsfolk seem to pay mind that you’ve picked up a new party member. You’re a weird-enough looking group that your new guide goes unnoticed. Once out of town the figure leads you off into the trees—”

“I roll Spot and Listen checks!” Bolin piped up, rolling. Beside him, Aria made the sign for _look_ and tossed one die for a Spot check.

“Me too,” Asmai agreed, tossing down two dice.

“Eight Spot, twelve Listen,” Bolin frowned at his mediocre rolls.

Aria made the sign for eleven on her Spot.

“And I got sixteen Spot and nine Listen,” Asami reported.

“Um, no one hears anything unusual,” Ikki told them, signing. “Amya and Lady Beau don’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but Ladria spots a small, grey rabbit, bounding into the trees as your group enters the forest. The forest is quiet,” she continued, lowering her voice and still signing. “Twigs and dry leaves crunch beneath your footsteps, while the wind ruffles the leaves above you. In the distance you can hear birds chattering.

“Once within the tree cover, the figure you’ve been following turns around. ‘I apologize for the subterfuge, but my kind are most unwelcome within elvish townships—even ones accepting of most other races,’ the figure tells you. With that she removes her hood, revealing white-silver hair, violet skin, red eyes, and large, pointed ears.”

“Drow,” Sokka nodded, popping the top on a Diet Coke. “That explains the Underdark accent.”

Aria gave a series of signs that Asami mostly failed to recognize. She caught the signs for _seven_ , _sweetheart_ , and _dead_.

“You’re right!” Korra answered Aria, signing but speaking aloud for Asami’s benefit. “That scullery girl said that the missing noblewoman’s dead girlfriend was a surface Drow who died on a mission to the Underdark seven years back. I wonder if there’s a connection. Wasn’t she a paladin?”

“Um, yeah, a paladin of the Red Knight,” Bolin confirmed, looking over his notes.

“I step forward to approach the Drow,” Korra said. “But I switch from leaning my claymore casually over my shoulder to taking a firm grip with my right gauntlet. I make sure that she can see me change my grip. ‘Alright, you haven’t attacked us or led us into an ambush, so we’re willing to listen. What do you want?’ I ask.”

“Ooh, scary,” Ikki laughed, scooping a glob of Aria’s macaroni salad onto her plate. “Roll an Intimidate check for Gracie.”

“Let’s see, my Charisma modifier is zero, but I’ve got five points in Intimidate,” Korra calculated as she rolled her D20. “And… that’s sixteen, plus five for a total of twenty-one.”

“Yeah, she’ll need to roll at least eighteen to beat that,” Ikki mused, looking at her tablet as she tossed her die. “And… nope.

“‘Your quest and ours line up,’ the Drow explains, looking kinda nervous at your looming presence,” she narrated. “‘My hunting party seeks a renegade Drider that has escaped from the Underdark. We have done our own investigating and believe your missing noblewoman was taken by the same creature we seek.’”

Aria made another series of signs.

“I was just thinking that,” Sokka agreed in his out-of-character voice, signing back to her. “Those spread-out claw marks we found on the outer wall and the trail we followed didn’t make sense, but we didn’t consider that the kidnapper had a spider’s body.”

“It’s your own faults for not rolling high enough on your Nature and Tracking checks,” Ikki told them through a cheek-full of macaroni.

“Wait… what’s a Drider?” Asami asked, turning to Bolin.

“Think of it like a centaur, but instead of a human torso, it has a Dark Elf torso, and instead of a horse’s body, it has a spider’s body,” Bolin explained, scooping macaroni salad onto a Frito. “In Dark Elf society, being turned into a Drider is usually a punishment for various crimes.”

“That’s awful grim news for us,” Korra admitted out of character, grimacing while signing for Aria. “Driders are known to _eat_ people.”

“So you’re saying our elf noblewoman might already be dead?” Bumi asked, switching back to his dwarf’s voice.

“It seems likely,” Ikki’s Drow replied. “It seems to have targeted this _darthiir_ township as prey.”

“ _Darthiir_ is the Drow word for surface elves,” Bolin translated for Asami.

“‘Do not mistake me for caring about the fate of my surface cousins,’ the Drow adds,” Ikki continued. “‘But the creature’s escape is an embarrassment upon my matron’s house and must be rectified.’”

“Perish the thought,” Bolin said somewhat sarcastically in his character’s slight French accent. Though she knew he was an actor semiprofessionally, Asami was once again impressed with his ability to imitate a mid-ranged woman’s voice.

“If you would work with us, I will escort you to my priestess’s camp,” Ikki offered in the Drow’s voice.

“We’ve no quarrel with you,” Sokka assured the Drow. “We’re willing to work with you, but don’t mistake our cooperation for trust.”

“This goes without saying,” Ikki replied in the Drow’s voice. “And rest assured this works both ways.”

“Fair enough,” Sokka smirked.

“So you’re following the Drow?” Ikki asked to verify.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Bumi nodded. “Everyone okay with this?”

“Uh… _cautiously_ okay with it,” Bolin clarified as Aria made a sign that Asami was pretty sure meant _maybe_.

“‘Follow me, then,’ the Drow says, turning and leading you deeper into the woods,” Ikki narrated. “For maybe fifteen minutes you follow your new ally as the forest slowly darkens around you.”

“I roll Spot and Listen,” Sokka said, tossing two D20s. “Twelve and seventeen,” he calculated.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Ikki assured them, rolling a pair of dice. “It’s getting dark, so it’s harder for your human eyes to see much, but you hear birds chirping in the distance and hear a squirrel or a chipmunk scramble up a tree. Moments later, your guide leads you into a clearing with four other Drow and a half-Drow. They have tents set up, and while there’s no campfire, the area is lit by four magical luminescent crystals. Um… somebody roll a Survival check.”

“I can do that,” Asami volunteered, tossing a die. “Nine plus five plus Wisdom modifier of two gives me sixteen,” she confirmed.

“So it occurs to you that the crystals are a smarter idea for someone trying to hide in hostile territory,” Ikki explained. “There’s no smoke for someone to catch a whiff of, and the pale light from the crystals doesn’t carry nearly as far as firelight.”

“This definitely qualifies as hostile territory for them,” Sokka agreed, sipping his Coke.

“So there’s three male Drow, all with swords, kite shields with spider designs on them, longbows, and black or grey leather armor,” Ikki narrated. “The half-Drow woman is taller than the others, with a glaive, longbow, full-plate armor, and backup broadsword. The last Drow, however, is clearly the leader. She’s tall for a Drow—almost as tall as Ladria, in fact,” she explained, gesturing to Asami. “Probably a battle-priestess of some kind, she wears a Mithral breastplate with Lolth’s symbol on the chest, with black-and-crimson robes and a black or dark-grey cloak. She’s not holding any weapons, but there’s a sword and shield propped up close by.”

“Can I make a Profession: Soldier roll to analyze how tough these guys are?” Korra asked, still signing for Aria.

“Hah! Yeah, I like it. Go ahead,” Ikki answered.

“Okay, so six points, plus one Wisdom, plus…” she trailed off as she rolled. “Plus twelve gives me nineteen.”

“Nice! So, yeah, you can tell these Drow are freaking tough. All of them skilled fighters and probably skilled archers as well,” Ikki told them. “The males are soldiers themselves—and good at their jobs, given that they’re still alive. The scout who first recruited you is pretty obviously a ranger, who’s probably a dead-eye with that crossbow. The half-Drow, you realize, is a Divine Champion of Lolth—a position they only award to the most brutal and cunning.”

“And one that some half-breed would have to work especially hard to get and would have to be more brutal and cunning than all of her competitors put together,” Sokka nodded appraisingly.

“Exactly,” Ikki agreed. “The priestess, meanwhile, is wicked powerful with her magic and super-strong in melee. All in all, a formidable collection of Dark Elves.

“‘Ah, the adventurers,’ the priestess says, standing to greet all of you,” Ikki continued. “Her manner is surprisingly urbane and polite as she greets you. ‘Thank you for recruiting them, Belariva,’ she tells the ranger. ‘And thank you for accepting our invitation, my friends. I am Priestess Elindra of Ched Nasad. This is my wife, Chrie, Divine Champion of our order,’ she adds, indicating the half-Drow. ‘As my scout told you, we are seeking a Drider that escaped from my mistress. We’ve tracked the creature this far, and we believe it is responsible for the missing _darthiir_ noblewoman.’”

Asami saw the others taking notes, so she went ahead and scribbled down the Drows’ names and classes.

“And that certainly lines up with the clues we found,” Sokka’s character assured the priestess. “What can you tell us about this creature?”

“‘The Drider is a gladiatrix, condemned to die fighting in the arena,’ she tells you,” Ikki narrated. “The ranger, Belariva, speaks up and says, ‘The creature has been fighting for almost seven years, if that tells you anything about its prowess.’”

Bumi whistled, raising his brows. “Yeah, I’d say that tells us a lot,” he agreed.

“This is all the warriors you’ve brought to tackle a Drider that powerful?” Korra asked, frowning.

“‘No, there are five other parties out searching for the creature in different parts of the Sword Coast,’ Priestess Elindra assures you,” Ikki clarified. “‘Our strategy is to contact the other groups once we find the creature, then to launch a wider-spread hunt to ensnare and destroy it. But why share the credit with your rivals when you can just seek outside help?’ she smirks.”

“So you’re looking to hire us?” Asami asked as Korra relayed the question to Aria.

“The priestess shakes her head,” Ikki narrated. “‘Why carry much coin when no one on the surface will trade with you anyway?’ she says. ‘No, I merely hope to pool our resources—and rest assured we have no designs on collecting the reward you’re expecting from the elf-woman’s father. Our priority is the escaped creature’s destruction.’”

“I roll a Sense Motive,” Bumi scowled, rolling a D20. “Uh, twenty-two.”

“Yeah, as far as you can tell, she’s telling the truth,” Ikki said, rolling and looking at her tablet.

Aria made a series of signs in response.

“Aria’s reminding Bumi that it’s not like the elves would cut a deal with Drow anyway,” Korra interpreted for Asami.

“Okay, that makes sense,” Bumi agreed, signing back.

 “I step up to loom over her in my plate armor,” Bolin narrated for his character. “I tell her, ‘Very well, we are willing to work with you, but know we will be watching carefully. Rest assured we will respond harshly to any treachery on your part.’ And I roll Intimidate,” he declared, rolling his D20. “Uh, nineteen.”

Ikki rolled a die, then shook her head. “Priestess Elindra just stares Lady Beaucourt down, meeting her glare. ‘I do not fear you, celestial-blood,’ she replies. ‘Every day of my life is filled with envious rivals far more dangerous than you can imagine—rivals with access to skilled assassins and powerful wizards. Either set your righteous indignation aside and work with us, or take it somewhere else. None of us have time for this.’”

“She beat a nineteen?” Bolin frowned, setting down his Sprite.

“She’s got a Will save of six, plus an additional plus-two bonus against Fear effects, Bo,” Ikki explained. “She had almost a fifty-percent chance of beating a nineteen.”

“So you’ve found the Drider’s trail? What direction does it lead?” Asami asked in character.

“‘North-by-northwest so far,’ the ranger Belariva tells you,” Ikki explained. “‘The creature is difficult to track,’ she admits, ‘it can cross rivers in ways that we cannot, and it frequently stays to the trees. But I have experience in tracking escaped Driders, and—barring unforeseen setbacks—I believe we can catch up to it within two weeks’ time.’”

“Do you mind if I update our client on the situation?” Sokka asked in character.

“Only if you mind me listening to the conversation to ensure you’re not betraying us,” Ikki replied in the priestess’s voice.

“‘That’s fair, priestess,’ I assure her,” Sokka narrated, miming pulling out a magic stone. “I take out the communication stone Lord Elloril gave us. ‘My lord, can you hear me? We have good news and complicated news on our search for your daughter.’”

“‘Speak, my friend,’ he replies a moment later,” Ikki responded while Korra signed the conversation to Aria.

“I tell him, ‘the good news is that we’ve identified the creature that abducted Lady Farina as a Drider, and we’ve found allies willing to help us track the monster.’”

“‘That _is_ good news,’ the elf replies. ‘Even if all you recover is Farina’s body, my clerics have resurrection spells ready. What is the “complicated” news?’”

“The complicated news is that the allies we’ve found to help us are Drow. They’re tracking the Drider for their own reasons, but they assure us they want no part of the reward for finding it.”

“‘That _does_ complicate things,’ Lord Elloril agrees,” Ikki narrated. “‘Our kingdom has been victim to brutal kin-slayings in the past, and no doubt many of our guards and soldiers would wish to exact revenge.’”

“My thoughts as well,” Sokka agreed in-character. “Is there some way you might be able to divert your patrols to keep them off our backs until we’re beyond the borders of your kingdom? We’re about ten minutes west of the township of Rofil and expect to travel north by northwest from here.”

“Good thinking,” Korra told him. Aria nodded her agreement as Ikki interpreted for her.

“Lord Elloril seems to think about it for a long time,” Ikki continued. “‘I make no promises, but I will see what I can do, Master Taggart,’ he says finally. ‘Keep me apprised of your progress until you’re beyond our borders, and if you should encounter our patrols, try to avoid harming them. Should any… transgressions occur, I’ll see about forgiving you of them once my daughter is returned.’”

“‘Those are entirely fair terms, my lord,’ I assure him,” Sokka said. “‘I will inform the others, most especially our Drow allies.’ And I tell everyone what Lord Elloril said.”

“‘Not having to dodge or eliminate elf patrols will help immensely,’ Priestess Elindra agrees once you’ve explained everything,” Ikki narrated. “Turning to the rest of your party, she says, ‘My next concern is over travel and camp accommodations. We Drow travel best at night, but my understanding is that not all of the surface races see well in the darkness?’”

“Aye,” Bumi grumbled in-character. “The outsider lasses and I see well enough in the dark, and the elf gets by in lower light when she needs to, but the humans and Halfling don’t. At all.”

“‘It’s pretty inconvenient sometimes,’ I agree,” Bolin put in. “At which Traffa slugs me in the leg and sticks out her tongue at me.”

Aria laughed and mimicked the facial expression as Ikki interpreted.

“‘I think we can make that work,’ I tell her,” Sokka offered. “‘You’ve got these magic lights we can follow around at night, then we can rest and take watch during the day.’”

“Yeah, it’ll be weird, but we can make it work,” Korra agreed in character.

“So the priestess nods her appreciation and says, ‘I appreciate your cooperation, my friends. Let us strike camp and proceed,’” Ikki narrated.

The first night’s travel turned out uneventful, Ikki having the Drow and various party members roll Spot and Listen checks without much result. “One thing you notice, Amya,” she pointed out for Aria, “is the Drow also use a sign language to signal each other. You don’t understand any of it, but you’re intrigued.”

Aria made a series of signs, one of which looked like a pencil writing on a piece of paper.

“She says that she’s writing on a piece of parchment to communicate with Priestess Elindra,” Korra explained for Asami. “She’s asking if Elindra will teach her Drow sign language.”

“Priestess Elindra nods after thinking about it. ‘Your willingness to learn from us pleases me,’ she writes on your paper. ‘In exchange, you may teach me your surface sign language,” Ikki explained, signing.

Aria nodded and signed, “Okay.”

“Anything anyone wants to do before bedding down for the day?” Ikki asked, finishing her macaroni salad.

“I contact Lord Elloril and let him know of our progress,” Sokka offered.

“M’kay, he thanks you for the update, but doesn’t have any updates of his own,” Ikki told him.

“I’m going to scout ahead while the others are resting,” Asami offered.

“After we rest for a bit, Traffa and I are going to work together on making some Masterwork crossbow bolts for the party,” Bolin said.

“I want to seduce one of the Drow—male or female, whichever one seems most willing,” Sokka added.

“Okay,” Ikki nodded, making notes of everyone’s requests. “So who’s taking first watch? Remember, you’ve got lots of people, so not all of you will have to stay up.”

“I can,” Korra offered.

“So Gracie and one of the Drow fighters take first watch. Meanwhile, Chrie stands guard over her wife’s tent, so she’s awake for now as well,” Ikki narrated. “We’ll start with Ladria. So are you just doing a patrol of the area, looking for something in particular, or scouting the Drider’s trail?”

“I’ll follow the trail,” Asami decided.

“Okay, so roll a Survival check.”

“Eighteen,” Asami said after rolling.

“Nice,” Ikki nodded. “So now that Belariva has taught you how to follow the Drider’s tracks, you and Naga have no trouble keeping the trail. Go ahead and roll a Spot check, just to see if you notice anything in the area.”

Asami tossed a die. “Um, not as good… eleven.”

“That was a D12, sweetie,” Korra corrected her gently.

“Shoot, sorry,” Asami grimaced, blushing. She picked up the correct die and rolled. “Slightly worse: nine.”

“Mm, yeah, you’re so focused on the trail that nothing unusual catches your eye,” Ikki shook her head. “After maybe half a mile of tracking, you come across the bodies of two Ettin—kind of a big, grey, two-headed giant. The Drider’s tracks are all over the area, as are the Ettin’s footprints. Clearly this was a vicious fight. Roll another Spot.”

“A little better this time,” Asami nodded. “Sixteen.”

“So both Ettin have multiple arrow wounds as well as some pretty major cuts from some kind of blade. Roll… um… roll Profession: Scout.”

“Mm, still not rolling well,” Asami frowned at the low roll. “Eight.”

“Yeah, as far as you can tell, they were killed by swords and arrows.”

“Can I tell anything interesting about the arrows?” Asami asked.

“Um, sure. Make a… oh, shoot. Never mind. I thought you had Craft: bowmaking, but you’re a crossbow ranger, so you learned weaponsmithing instead,” Ikki scowled at her tablet as she seemed to think it over. “Roll Knowledge: History.”

“Fifteen.”

“Just enough,” Ikki nodded, tapping at her tablet. “So checking over the arrows, they look familiar. In fact, they’re pretty similar to the arrows that your Drow companions use.”

“I take one of the arrows to show to Priestess Elindra,” Asami decided, reaching for more of Aria’s macaroni salad. It was an excellent salad, and Asami made a note to ask Aria for the recipe later.

The doorbell rang before Ikki could continue.

“Who could that be?” Korra frowned, standing to head for the door.

“Hey, sweeties!” a boisterous, slightly gravelly voice declared. The bearer of the voice, a handsome, middle-aged woman with grey hair, threw her arms wide and wrapped a startled Korra in a passionate hug. The woman carried a satchel over one shoulder and held a grocery bag containing a box of crackers and various containers of foodstuffs.

“Aunt Kya!” Ikki squealed, hopping up and running over to join the hug. Bumi and Sokka both stood up from their chairs.

“Hey, little sister,” Bumi greeted, accepting Kya’s hug as she released Korra and Ikki.

“Hey, big brother,” Kya smiled, squeezing his back then transferring the hug to Sokka.

“How was the honeymoon?” Sokka asked as they headed back to Korra’s kitchen table.

“Spectacular,” Kya smirked. “We went to a few places, but on the whole Lin and I didn’t spend much time outside our hotel rooms, if that tells you anything. We were gonna travel the whole West Coast, but we only made it as far south as the Redwoods.”

“It tells me _more_ than I needed,” Bumi grumbled.

“Hey, Kya!” Bolin waved from his seat. Beside him, Aria waved as well.

“Hey, Bolin, Aria,” Kya answered, signing a greeting to Aria. “And you must be Asami,” she greeted, offering her hand. “Delightful to meet you—Ikki hasn’t stopped texting me about you since you arrived.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you as well,” Asami smiled, shaking her hand.

“We’re about halfway through D&D night,” Bumi offered. “Pull up a seat and roll up a character?”

“Way ahead of you, Bumi,” Kya grinned, pulling a character sheet and dice bag from her satchel. “I rolled one up on the drive home. Ikki’s been texting me the whole time you’ve been playing.”

“Nice,” Korra chuckled as she took her seat.

“And I brought goodies, straight from the Oregon Coast,” Kya declared, setting her grocery bag on the table and removing the contents. “Sea-salt crackers, fresh crab salad, Ikki’s favorite broccoli dip,” she added, passing the container to Ikki.

“Ooh, yummy! You rock!” Ikki said, taking the container.

“And smoked Tillamook cheddar, straight from the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon,” Kya continued, adding the cheese to the pile of snacks. “And for you two,” she added, putting her hands on Sokka and Bumi’s shoulders, “at home, still tucked into my luggage, I’ve got World War II plane souvenirs and paraphernalia from the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville.”

“You are the coolest niece ever,” Sokka grinned, giving her a fist-bump.

“Isn’t the Evergreen Museum where they’re housing the Spruce Goose?” Asami asked.

“Yes! My god, that sumbitch is huge!” Kya laughed, sitting down.

“My… dad always wanted to go see that,” Asami recalled, trying not to grimace at the memory. She felt Korra squeeze her hand under the table.

“Did you get to read the description and synopsis I sent you?” Ikki asked Kya, popping the lid off her dip.

“Yep! I’m all ready to go,” Kya assured her.

“Okay, so Ladria, as you’re investigating the battle site, you hear a quiet rustling behind you,” Ikki narrated, dipping a cracker into her broccoli dip before passing the container to Aria. “As you turn around, you see a nymph standing between two trees, watching you curiously—not afraid or threatening, just curious. Go ahead and describe yourself, Aunt Kya.”

“Okay, so my character is a nymph, so fairly wood-elf looking—long, pointy ears and large, violet eyes,” Kya explained, forking a bit of crab salad onto a cracker. “I’ve got tannish-olive skin and long, wavy, chestnut-colored hair that takes on a reddish tint in the sunlight. I’m wearing a leather satchel and kind of a flimsy, silky green tunic-slash-sundress and nothing else. I’m slim and willowy but built kind of like Jessica Rabbit: busty and leggy with a trim waist—like, almost cartoonishly sexy. I just kind of stare curiously at Asami’s ranger and wolf.”

“Um, hello?” Asami ventured in her character’s voice.

“Hello,” Kya replied in a chirpy voice. “What are you doing here?”

“‘I’m following a Drider that came this way,’ I answer,” Asami said as Korra sliced up some of the smoked cheddar for everyone.

“‘Oh, okay,’ I nod, then think about it. ‘What’s a Drider?’ I ask,” Kya returned.

“Um, it’s a monster from the Underdark that has the body of a spider and the torso of a Drow elf,” Asami answered.

“Oh, are Drow elves those purple elves with the shiny, white hair?” Kya asked, still in character. Across the table, Ikki kept a running translation of the exchange for Aria.

“Yes, some of them have purple skin.”

“‘Then I saw a Drider nine nights ago in this very spot!’ I explain excitedly,” Kya narrated. “‘I wonder if it’s the same Drider you’re looking for,’ I speculate.”

“What did the Drider do? Where did it go?” Asami asked.

“Wow, you sure ask a lot of questions,” Kya observed, in character. “What will you give me if I answer your questions?”

“I dig into my coin purse. ‘How much do you want?’ I ask,” Asami said.

“I shake my head. ‘Coins are nice and shiny but I don’t really have much use for them. See, I have lots,’ I explain, stepping over and showing you the assorted coins just lying in the satchel alongside various berries, nuts, mushrooms, and colorful rocks,” Kya said. “‘What else do you have?’”

Asami frowned at her inventory, trying to think of things a nymph might like. “I’m not sure. What do you want?”

“I kind of study her for a moment, scratching Naga’s ears. ‘You have a pretty mouth,’ I decide,” Kya narrated, accepting a soda from Sokka. “‘I like kisses!’ I declare, stepping over to her and clasping my hands giddily. ‘I will answer your questions in exchange for kisses!’”

“I see you’re drawing inspiration from David Eddings’s dryads in your character, Kya,” Sokka observed.

 “Why do you want kisses?” Asami frowned.

“‘Because you have a pretty mouth and kisses are fun!’ I explain, frowning as if the answer should be obvious,” Kya answered, sipping her Sprite. “‘Don’t… don’t you _like_ kisses?’ I ask, looking horrified at the idea that someone might not like being kissed.”

“‘I… like kisses just fine,’ I reply nervously, probably trying not to stare at her boobs,” Asami narrated.

“Stare away, she won’t mind,” Kya waved it off.

“‘But I don’t even know your name,’ I add,” Asami went on.

“‘My name is _River_!’ I introduce myself,” Kya narrated. “‘I share kisses with all of my friends, and we’re friends now, right?’ I ask, taking your hand eagerly.”

“‘Absolutely, we can be friends,’ I assure her, squeezing her hand in return,” Asami said. “‘I’m Ladria, by the way,’ I tell her. ‘And this is Naga,’ I add, gesturing to my wolf.”

“Ikki helped you with your character, didn’t she?” Kya smirked, out of character. “‘I like those names,’ I gush, bouncing up and down a little,” she added, getting back into character. “‘I love getting to meet new people and new animals!’”

“‘How much of the fight did you see?’ I ask,” Asami said, resuming the line of questioning.

“What? Oh, right, the fight between the monsters!” Kya chirped. “‘Um, I heard some fighting and sneaked over to see what was going on,’ I explain,” she told Asami. “‘I stayed and watched until the two smelly monsters died and the spider-monster left.’ And then I wrap my arms around Ladria’s neck and give her a long, steamy kiss.”

“I just roll with it,” Asami decided. “Then once we stop kissing, I ask, ‘Where did the Drider go after that? Did you see?’”

“I think about it for a moment. ‘I don’t know where it went after that. I didn’t see. It just picked up the elf girl and went away.’ And then I kiss her twice since that was technically two questions.”

“Wait, did you say—” Asami cut off, as if being interrupted by a kiss, “—that an elf girl—” a second kiss, “—was with it?”

“You’re a really good sport about all this silliness, Asami,” Sokka commented, chuckling.

“‘Yes! I did say that! The monster had a very pretty elf with it,’ I assure Ladria,” Kya nodded. “And then I kiss her again.”

“‘What… what did the elf girl _look_ like?’ I ask next.”

“‘Well, she was pretty,’ I explain, thinking it over,” Kya narrated. “‘She had blue hair and purple eyes and peach-colored skin and full, pouty lips that would be fun for kissing and long, slender legs and soft, round boobs that would be way fun for nuzzling and kissing and blowing raspberries against, and—’”

“Okay, that sounds like the same elf girl I’m looking for,” Asami interrupted.

“‘Oh, you’re looking for an elf girl? I thought you said you were looking for a spider-monster,’ I say, looking confused,” Kya narrated. “And then I kiss her again.”

“Hey, Ikki,” Asami inquired, turning to their DM. “I know that there are different ways to control people’s minds in this game. Do these Drider things have the ability to control people’s minds?”

“Um… roll a Knowledge: Nature check,” Ikki decided.

“Eighteen plus six gives me twenty-four,” Asami said once she rolled.

“Nice roll,” Ikki nodded. “To the best of your knowledge about Driders, they don’t _naturally_ have the ability to mind-control, but if the creature is also a cleric or wizard or other spell-caster, it might have spells that can.”

“That’s a fair concern,” Korra frowned. “We don’t know what class this thing is, do we? It could be a Necromancer or Divine Champion or Arcane Archer or something similarly nasty and powerful, for all we know.”

“On the plus side, at least now we know that A: our elf noblewoman is alive and B: that we’re chasing after the right creature,” Sokka pointed out. “Before now, we only had circumstantial evidence and Priestess Elindra’s word that the Drider is at all connected to the lady’s disappearance.”

“‘Thank you for your help, River,’ I tell her,” Asami continued. “I should really get back to the others and tell them what I’ve learned.”

“‘There are others?’ I squeal, getting all excited and still holding you in an enthusiastic embrace,” Kya narrated. “‘I want to come with you! Do they like kisses too?’”

“‘I… suppose you can come with us,’ I decide,” Asami shrugged. “‘Can you fight at all?’ I ask.”

“I think about it for a moment,” Kya said. “Arms still around your neck, I just shrug. ‘Maybe? I’ve never tried it.’ And then I kiss her because she technically asked a question.”

“Next I ask, ‘Well, can you use magic?’ And then I brace myself because I know another kiss is coming,” Asami roleplayed.

“My character has levels in druid, so I explain that I can use nature magic and transform into animals,” Kya said, apparently deciding to summarize. “And then I kiss her again.”

“‘Thank you for telling me, River,’ I assure her after we kiss. ‘I’ll take you to my friends, but I’ll let them decide if you should travel with us, deal?’ And then I kiss her preemptively because I realize I technically just asked another question,” Asami roleplayed.

“Hah! Atta girl!” Kya laughed as she and the rest of the table clapped.

“What do I know about nymphs?” Asami asked, turning to Ikki.

“Roll a Knowledge: Nature check,” Ikki shrugged.

“Sixteen,” Asami reported.

“As a patron of nature, you know a fair bit about nymphs and similar woodland fey,” Ikki told her. “Fey in general are kind of flighty and tend to have long memories and short attention spans. They don’t think like mortals and will probably have different priorities and different understanding of the world. They don’t have much understanding of trade and currency for example—money means pretty much nothing to them,” she explained.

“It’s true,” Kya nodded. “River still has all the money she started with in her satchel—she’s literally got no gear but her tunic and satchel. I just assume someone gave the money to her for whatever reason, and she carries it around because she has no idea what to do with it.”

“Nice,” Ikki laughed. Aria grinned and shook her head. “Anyway, you also realize that relatively young nymphs like River are still learning about the world of mortals and trying out new things, hence her penchant for kisses. So it makes sense that she’ll want to travel with you and meet new people and have other new experiences. Just don’t be super surprised if she’s into other kinds of worldly entertainments.”

“And so on top of having no concept of personal space, fey probably have no concept of monogamy, right?” Asami asked drily.

“Now you’re catching on,” Korra assured her, rolling her eyes a little.

“‘Carry me!’ River giggles, hopping up into your arms as you walk back toward your camp,” Kya narrated, trying some of Aria’s macaroni.

“Okay, so while Ladria was off investigating the trail, Amya, you wanted to learn Drow sign language from Priestess Elindra, right?” Ikki asked, turning and signing to Aria.

Aria nodded and made the sign for “yes.”

“Okay, so after things have settled down in camp, Amya heads to the Priestess’s tent with pen and parchments,” Ikki narrated, signing. “Once there, Chrie gives you admittance, opening the flap to let you inside—as a half-Drow, she’s technically not affected by the sunlight. As you enter, you see Priestess Elindra sitting cross-legged on a sleeping mat with two glasses of wine poured. She’s wearing a surprisingly simple nightdress—kind of a purplish-grey linen.”

“No riding crop? No leather thigh-highs or black, silky lingerie?” Bumi asked, chuckling.

“ _Ugh_. No. That’s a shitty, unimaginative male power-fantasy trope that needs to die in lava,” Ikki scolded, glaring a moment before turning back to Aria. Asami didn’t get what they were referring to but decided she’d ask Korra about it later. Bumi looked slightly abashed, whatever it meant.

Aria made a couple of signs, one Asami recognized as the sign Korra taught her for _sexy_.

“Oh, yeah, she’s super-hot,” Ikki laughed, signing. “Priestess Elindra finally looks more relaxed out of that armor. She’s got her hair down and her weapons and armor stacked out of the way. Her dress has short sleeves, and from what you can see, she’s kind of _buff_ —not quite as buff as Korra, but she has strong arms and legs used to exercise and combat training. She graciously gestures for you to have a seat.”

Aria made a series of signs as Korra interpreted for the others. “I go ahead and have a seat, then write a quick note, thanking the priestess for the opportunity to learn,” Korra translated directly.

“Priestess Elindra winks and smiles, writing a return note, thanking you for your being interested in her culture,” Ikki replied, still signing. “‘Why don’t we start with some basic words and phrases and see how far we get?’ she writes.”

Aria nodded and signed a reply. “I nod and scoot closer, huddling up beside her with my pen and stack of parchment,” Korra translated.

“’Kay, so I’m not real sure on the rules for learning new languages in D&D, but I feel like there should be more to it than just writing it on your character sheet. So I’m gonna go ahead and just have you and Priestess Elindra make Intelligence checks every time you try to learn more signs from each other,” Ikki decided, signing her instructions. “Each time you beat a five, I’ll add one point; when you beat a ten, I’ll add two points; beat fifteen, I’ll add three points; and each time you beat Twenty, I’ll add four points. When you each get ten points, we’ll say that you’ve gotten conversationally proficient in the other’s sign language. Does that sound fair?”

Aria nodded and signed “yes.”

“Okay, go ahead and roll,” Ikki instructed. “Ew, bad roll: just a seven.”

Aria rolled and made the sign for “eighteen.”

“Alrighty, so since you’ve never really taught sign before, you struggle a little to make yourself understood, but manage to teach Priestess Elindra a fair number of basic signs,” Ikki decided. “Priestess Elindra, however, seems to have taught this before, and it turns out she’s pretty good at instructing you. You gain a lot of understanding of Drow sign language over the several hours you work together.”

Aria signed “okay,” then made a series of additional signs, as if narrating something. “Over the course of the lesson, I keep scooting closer and closer to her,” Korra interpreted, laughing. “I let one of my dress sleeves slide off my shoulder and never bother to put it back in place.”

Ikki giggled evilly. “Priestess Elindra apparently already has the same idea and flirts back,” she explained, signing. “Toward the end of the session, she’s teaching you some of the flirtier, dirtier signs in her language. It becomes pretty obvious she’s attempting to seduce you as she traces a pair of fingers across your cheek and along one of your pretty horns. Do you want to try to resist her seduction?”

Aria gave a toothy, nose-wrinkling grin and signed, “ _No_.”

“Pretty quick you’re in each other’s arms and kissing,” Ikki narrated. “Go ahead and roll a Charisma check to see how well you perform,” she suggested.

Aria tossed her die, blinked at the result, then tossed her head back, laughing.

“Natural twenty,” Korra chuckled as the others leaned forward to see.

“I love it when people roll nat twenties on meaningless rolls,” Bolin grinned, shaking his head as the rest of the table clapped and laughed.

“Yeah, you’re about to rock her world, babe,” Ikki laughed, signing the scenario. “With that you take Priestess Elindra in your arms, laying her back and pressing your lips together. You slide your long, Tiefling tongue into her mouth as you kiss. Slowly you slide her nightdress upward, revealing her strong, shapely hips; her slightly muscular abdomen; and her round, perky—”

“I think we get the picture, Ikki,” Sokka interrupted, mock-scoldingly.

“I wouldn’t mind a few more details,” Kya shrugged.

“Same here,” Bolin agreed.

Ikki pouted a little, then turned to Aria and signed, “ _Later_.”

Aria winked and gave another nose-wrinkling grin, agreeing, “ _Later_.”

“So for the sake of brevity, let’s just say that while it’s probable that she’s had better lays in her four-hundred-year lifespan, it’s not very many of them,” Ikki narrated. “She lets Amya take control, and you take her hard and passionately in a womanly fashion.”

“I’ll be in my bunk,” Bolin said in an Adam Baldwin-like voice, pretending to get up from the table, eliciting another round of chuckles.

“Okay, so moving on,” Ikki continued, still laughing. “Lady Beaucourt, you said you wanted to rest first, so we’ll get to your bolt-crafting in a minute, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Bolin nodded.

“So Gracie, you’re keeping watch with Chrie and one of the Drow guardsmen, right?” Ikki asked.

“Yep,” Korra nodded.

“Okay, we’ll roll Spot and Listen for all three characters—I promise I won’t give you a penalty for the grunts and moans and sticky, thrusting sounds coming from the priestess’s tent,” Ikki told her, as always signing for Aria.

Aria shook her head and signed something back.

Korra laughed, translating, “She says, ‘Amya’s a screamer.’”

* * *

* * *

“Looking around, it definitely looks like predators or scavengers already got to some of the bandits’ bodies,” Ikki narrated, signing. “Like the survivors told you, there are human, dwarf, and hobgoblin bodies strewn about with a couple elves, a couple gnolls, and an ogre. Ladria, roll a Survival check, please.”

“Sixteen,” Asami told her. Upon encountering bandit survivors who’d escaped from the Drider’s attack, with morning coming on, the party opted to send a few members ahead to scout the ruins where the bandits had made their headquarters. Ladria, Gracie, Volio, Lady Beaucourt, Chrie, and one of the Drow soldiers elected to go to see if the Drider was still inside.

“The battle site looks similar to the Ettin fight you discovered eight days ago, Ladria,” Ikki narrated. “Similar weapons and tactics, indicating the Drider’s handiwork, once again,” she explained. “The arrows are the same Drow-make as the one you showed to Priestess Elindra.”

“You said this room splits off into two doorways?” Bumi asked for confirmation, looking at the map she’d drawn. The chamber was forty-five feet by sixty feet, running east-to-west.

“Yep, with a window along the south side. From here, the one to the north looks like another chamber while the one to the east leads into a hallway,” Ikki described, pointing across from the west entrance where they’d come in. According to her description, there were two-dozen bodies and broken tables and chairs scattered about the room.

“I mean, I don’t feel bad for these guys after what they did to that caravan we found the other day,” Korra commented in character. “But jeebus this Drider fights brutal.”

“‘The creature was a gladiator for seven years,’ Chrie reminds you in that terse manner of hers,” Ikki responded. “‘Of course it fights brutal.’”

“I give her a mock salute behind her back,” Korra said, making Aria chuckle.

“I roll a Spot check to see if there’s anything of value or anything interesting in this room,” Bolin decided, tossing a die. “Meh, just an eight.”

“Just bodies, broken furniture, and discarded weapons,” Ikki told him, shaking her head.

“We should probably keep exploring,” Bumi offered. “We can come back and check this stuff later.”

“Naga and I will peek into the chamber to the north,” Asami said, pointing at the northern doorway.

“Okie-doke,” Ikki told her, looking at her Android and drawing another room onto the map. “You see another chamber with just two bandit bodies, with one door leading east and another leading further north,” she told them. “It’s apparently a storeroom, with crates and barrels of food, weapons, tents, gold, stolen luxuries, a ballista in need of repair, and various other random supplies.”

“I’ll take a look into the east hallway,” Bumi said, taking a sip of his hard cider. Korra had distributed hard cider to the adults and sparkling cider for the minors a little bit ago. All of the perishable food had already gone back into the fridge.

“Hallway’s about ten feet wide and maybe a hundred feet long,” Ikki explained as she drew. “You can see a doorway at the far end of the hall and three doorways along the north side, each about twenty-five feet apart,” she added. “The south wall has colonnaded windows looking out over the forest.”

“Do we want to check out the hall or the north chamber first?” Bolin asked.

“North, I think,” Bumi mused. “We can check out the supplies while we’re there.”

“Okay, so you move into the storeroom and start looking at the barrels and boxes,” Ikki described. “You want to do a quick Spot check or a Search?”

“Spot for now,” Korra decided, rolling. “Seventeen.”

“Most of the weapons look pretty standard, but you do find a couple Masterwork short swords and a bundle of Masterwork arrows,” Ikki decided, apparently looking over an equipment list.

“All of our ranged people use crossbows, but can anyone use a nice set of short swords?” Bumi asked, looking to the others.

“I’m not here, but I’ll take one when you come back,” Sokka shrugged. “Doesn’t make much difference what melee weapon I use.”

“Traffa can take the other, when we get back to camp,” Bolin decided. “She’s got a regular old mace, and I wouldn’t mind giving her something Masterwork. And I guess we can take the arrows in case Gracie or I find a decent bow.”

“We’ll take a look at the next set of rooms,” Korra decided.

“Okay, so the room to the north leads to the collapsed tower you saw from the outside,” Ikki explained. “There’s busted beams and rubble and a collapsed staircase. Go ahead and make a Spot check, Gracie.”

“And… natural one,” Korra grimaced, glaring at her die.

“So as you look in, you catch some kind of bug in your eye and are too distracted to notice much of anything,” Ikki chuckled, shaking her head.

“Dammit, where’d that thing come from,” Korra grumbled, rubbing one eye and blinking a lot. Aria chuckled at Korra’s acting.

“The room to the east seems to be a barracks or bunk house of some kind,” Ikki described. “There’s bunks along the walls, cots and bedrolls scattered about, and various trunks at the foots of some of the beds. A couple humans and a hobgoblin tried to make their last stand here—in vain apparently. As you look, you can tell there’s no way out. No doors or windows leading out, the only light comes from a collapsed part of the ceiling.”

“I’ll wander in and make a Spot check, looking for anything interesting,” Bolin offered. “Eleven,” he grimaced.

“Just five locked chests is all you find,” Ikki shook her head. “They’re locked because these bandits apparently didn’t trust each other,” she explained.

“We don’t have anyone with lock-picking, do we?” Bolin frowned. “Like, at all, right?”

“Belaria has a couple levels in rogue, but she’s not with you,” Ikki explained.

“You wanna try to break ‘em open, Korra?” Bumi asked.

“I can try,” Korra shrugged. “Anything in these rooms I can use to pry or smash ‘em open?”

“Yeah, back in the storeroom you find some pry-bars you can use to bust the chests apart,” Ikki told them. “Go ahead and make a Strength check on the first chest, Gracie.”

“Twenty-one,” Korra laughed, sounding satisfied with her roll.

“So you bust the lid off the chest with ease,” Ikki told her. “Inside you find some clothes, a couple magic scrolls, and a Mithral dagger that looks like it might be enchanted.”

“Okay, we’ll take the scrolls and dagger,” Bolin decided. “Amya has Identify, right?” he asked as Korra signed for Aria.

Aria nodded and signed, “ _Yes_.”

“As you start to move to check another chest, I need everyone present to roll a Listen check,” Ikki instructed, rolling for Chrie and the Drow soldier. “Sound off rolls: seventeen and twelve.”

“Volio: eighteen.”

“Ladria: twelve.”

“Gracie: natural one.”

“Lady Beaucourt: eleven.”

“So everyone but Gracie hears the tromping of feet coming your direction,” Ikki narrated. “Volio and Chrie hear the muttered sound of what sounds like battle orders—in orcish.”

“I don’t I speak orc,” Bumi muttered. “I don’t think any of us do.”

“Chrie does,” Ikki assured them. “‘Orcs!’ she shouts, pointing the way you came. ‘They’re moving to cut off our escape!’”

“You’re sure? I don’t hear anything,” Korra said, in character.

“That’s right,” Kya commented. “Those bandits said something about being stuck in a turf-war with a bunch of orc raiders. Have fun, guys.”

“C’mon, let’s get out of here!” Bumi ordered the others.

“So you follow Chrie and the other Drow into the main room where you found all the bodies,” Ikki narrated, signing as Aria sat forward nervously. “As you enter, you see eight big, heavy orc warriors enter the room: five from the way out and three from the hallway leading deeper into the ruin. Three have heavy crossbows drawn and ready. Two shoot at the Drow soldier who was first into the room, while the third shoots at Chrie.” She paused to roll three dice. “That’s eighteen and fifteen on the soldier—both of which hit—and sixteen on Chrie, which misses.” She rolled two D10s. “And that’s fifteen damage to the soldier.

“So as Chrie and the soldier charge into the room, the crossbow orcs let fly against them,” Ikki narrated. “The soldier stumbles back as the heavy bolts pierce his leather armor. Chrie doesn’t even grunt as a bolt glances harmlessly off her armor. Everyone roll Initiative!” Ikki declared, setting up everyone’s minis.

“Good luck,” Sokka toasted, sitting back and raising his cider. Aria toasted to their luck as well.

Everyone made their Initiative rolls while Ikki rolled for the Drow and orcs. Turn order went Ladria and Naga, Volio, Chrie and the soldier minion, Gracie, the orcs, with Lady Beaucourt taking up the rear of the order.

“Okay, let’s try out these Masterwork bolts Lady Beaucourt and Traffa made,” Asami decided. Her character was third out the door with line of sight on all of the present orcs. “I attack this orc here,” she pointed to one of the orcs near the main exit. “Since I’m not moving and have Rapid Reload, I get a full round of crossbow attacks, right?”

“Yep,” Ikki assured her. “As a level-six ranger, you get plus six on your base attack bonus on your first attack and plus one on the second.”

“And don’t forget to add plus one to the attack for the Masterwork bolts,” Bolin reminded her.

“And plus three for your Dex modifier,” Korra added, leaning over to point it out on her character sheet.

“Okay so first attack, that’s a sixteen,” she said as she rolled. “Plus six for base attack bonus, plus one for the bolt, plus three for Dexterity gives me twenty-six to hit.”

“Hits and then some! Roll damage,” Ikki said.

“Three damage,” Asami grimaced as she rolled.

“Okay, roll second attack,” Ikki instructed.

“Right,” Asami nodded, rolling. “Fourteen, plus one, plus three, plus another one gives me nineteen,” she totaled.

“Another hit! Roll damage.”

“And that’s a two,” Asami grimaced.

“So you shoot, reload, then shoot again,” Ikki narrated. “The first bolt takes the orc in the shoulder while the second hits his hip. While they both penetrate his chainmail, neither hit anywhere vital. Naga also goes on your turn. What do you want her to do?”

“Is there a way to send Naga for help?” Asami asked as she considered.

“Yeah, we’d have to make an opening for her to get by the orcs, but it’s doable,” Korra mused. “For now, I’d keep her back a bit to defend you just in case, while we work on opening a gap.”

“No, no,” Bumi disagreed. “Gracie and I go before the orcs. Wolves have a trip attack where they can knock enemies prone. Have Naga knock this orc over,” he pointed to one of the orcs near the doorway, “then Gracie and I can rush in and off him while he’s vulnerable.”

“That’s kind of risky though,” Bolin mused. “We don’t know how many orcs are outside the door; how do we know we’re not rushing poor Naga into a whole heard of them?”

“Hold up,” Ikki raised a hand. “Roll an Intelligence check, Asami,” she requested.

Asami frowned and rolled. “Eleven,” she grimaced.

“I’d have let you get away with a two,” Ikki told her. “As you think about it, Asami, you suddenly remember that on the south side of the room—straight across from you—there’s a window that Naga can safely leap out of to go for help.”

Aria and Kya laughed while Sokka snorted, shaking his head.

“Okay, so I send Naga through the south window,” Asami chuckled to herself.

“With her fifty-foot movement, Naga goes bounding across the room and leaps through the window to go for help,” Ikki narrated, moving Naga’s mini across the map. “She makes it just outside the window with full movement.”

“How long will it take for help to get here?” Bolin asked.

Ikki frowned as she thought it over. “Naga’s pretty fast, so I’ll give ya, um, eight rounds,” she decided.

“So we just need to hold out that long,” Bumi nodded. “If you’re done, Asami, I’m up next.”

“Go for it,” Asami nodded.

“I’ll cast Magic Vestment on Gracie’s chainmail,” he decided, turning his mini toward Korra’s. “That’s plus one to your armor.”

“Nice, thanks!” Korra nodded.

“But for now I’ll stay back from the fight,” Bumi added. “I’m probably the second-least durable character here.”

“It’s the Drows’ turn,” Ikki declared. “‘I don’t care how much you’re bleeding!’ Chrie tells the other Drow as they rush into battle,” she narrated, moving their minis toward the three orcs near the east hallway. “‘Help me hold this hallway!’ she shouts, swinging her glaive at the nearest orc.” She rolled a D20. “That’s an eighteen to hit, and damage…” she trailed off, rolling a D10. “Ew, just a four,” she grimaced. “So Chrie manages to get her swing in past the orc’s shield, and though the blade sinks in, the blow is partly absorbed by the orc’s chainmail. ‘There’s more orcs coming down the hall,’ Chrie hollers to the rest of you,” Ikki added, placing three more orc minis in the hallway. “Okay, so now it’s the other Drow’s turn…”

“Does the other Drow even have a name?” Bolin asked.

“Probably, but he’s male, so what does it matter?” Ikki asked. “I mean, I even have ‘Minion Two’ written on his character sheet.”

Sokka chuckled and grinned. “Fitting representation of Drow society, Ikki,” he nodded.

“I’m not sure I get it,” Asami frowned.

“Comic artist Phil Foglio once referred to Drow society as a matriarchy of the kind imagined by the recently divorced,” Kya explained. “Drow males are pretty much second-class citizens. Ikki’s just getting into character.”

“Here’s the windup, and the pitch,” Ikki said as she rolled. “And… crappy roll: a total of nine. So the other Drow charges in and swings his longsword only to have it blocked by the orc’s shield. And they’re done. Go for it, Gracie.”

“First off, I’m going to Rage,” Korra declared, flexing. Asami failed to resist the urge to stare at those biceps. “And then I’m gonna charge the orcs blocking our way out.”

“Take ‘em down, Korra,” Bolin grinned.

“I rush this orc here,” she said, moving her mini over next to one of the orcs. “And I roll… fourteen—not bad—plus six for base attack, plus six for Strength bonus, plus one for Weapon Focus. Does twenty-seven hit, Ikki?” Korra smirked.

“Yeah, bite me, smartass,” Ikki shook her head, trying not to grin. “Roll for damage.”

“C’mon, big money,” Korra said as she rolled a pair of D6s. “Three and five gets me eight, not bad, plus two for Weapon Specialization gives me ten to damage.”

“So your attack catches the orc deep in the side, cutting deep and damaging his chainmail,” Ikki narrated. “Black blood drips from your sword as you wrench it from the wound. He’s reeling and definitely hurt.”

“Nice hit, Korra,” Bolin congratulated her, reaching past Asami to offer a fist-bump.

“Okay, so now it’s the orcs’ turn,” Ikki declared picking up her dice.

“Ah, dammit,” Korra said suddenly.

“What?” Ikki frowned.

“Nothing, I just coulda gone into Power Attack mode while I was at it,” Korra grimaced. “Just forgot, is all.”

“Maybe next turn,” Bolin offered.

“Okie-doke, so these four orcs move to try to surround Gracie and the Drow,” Ikki narrated, moving the orcs in around Korra’s mini and moving the orcs in the hall to help surround Chrie and the other Drow. “Meanwhile three orcs you couldn’t see before rush in and aim their crossbows at Volio and Ladria. Two shots at Volio,” she said, rolling two D20s, “fourteen and twenty-one to hit.”

“Twenty-one hits,” Bumi nodded.

“And damage…” Ikki muttered, rolling a D10. “So you take six damage, Uncle Bumi.”

“Alright,” Bumi said, marking that off.

“And one attack on Ladria,” Ikki continued, rolling. “Fifteen misses, right?”

“Yep, fifteen misses,” Asami nodded.

“So the second wave of orcs rush in to shoot at your support characters,” Ikki narrated. “Two of the shots go wide, one missing Volio and one missing Ladria. The third shot, though, hits Volio in the shoulder, wedging it’s way between the chain links. Meanwhile, the four orcs you already saw move in and surround Gracie.”

“Bring ‘em on!” Korra taunted.

“First roll: seven, misses,” Ikki sounded each roll. “Second orc: twenty?”

“That’s a hit,” Korra nodded.

“Third: eleven, misses, and fourth: another seven. So damage roll, then…” Ikki nodded, rolling a D8, “that’s six slashing damage to Gracie.”

“’Tis but a flesh-wound,” Korra said in a mediocre British accent.

“Y’know, I think that’s our first Monty Python reference for the night,” Sokka commented. “At three hours in, that’s gotta be a D&D world record of some kind.”

“So the orcs rush in to surround Gracie,” Ikki narrated for everyone. “The first swings with his scimitar, but she parries it away with her claymore. But as she’s doing that, the second manages a good, solid hit with his battleaxe. Now that she’s ready for them, Gracie parries away two more attacks, one from a spear and one from a longsword.”

“That the best you’ve got, green-skins?” Korra taunted.

“On the other side of the room, seven orcs rush in, in effort to overwhelm your Drow allies,” Ikki narrated. “So, let’s see… these three will go ahead and attack minion two, while the other four hit Chrie,” she decided. “Miss, natural nineteen—so that crits on a Falchion—miss, hit, miss, and miss,” she listed as she rolled. “So one hit on each. And now damage,” she continued. “Falchion damage is 2D4, times two since it crit, and… a pair of fours!”

“Oh, jeeze, he’s dead, isn’t he?” Sokka asked.

“Yeah, he’s got twenty-eight health and took fifteen damage from those crossbows,” Ikki nodded. “And the Drow red-shirt goes down!” she declared. “Chrie, meanwhile takes a heavy-flail hit for… one damage,” she finished, scowling at her D10.

“So the orcs only get one attack each round?” Asami asked.

“They’re all level five, so yeah,” Ikki nodded. “You guys are level six, so you get two hits when doing a full attack.”

“Okay, thanks,” Asami nodded her understanding.

“So as the orcs swarm the Drow, random solder guy manages to block one’s mace with his shield, while parrying another’s scimitar with his longsword. But in doing so, he leaves himself wide open for an attack from the third orc. Angry at the dark elves’ defiance, the orc swings his falchion down, bisecting the unfortunate soldier from shoulder to hip, cutting through his leather armor like tissue-paper. Down to the stones he topples laying in a pool of his own blood!” Ikki described, tipping over the Drow’s mini.

“Chrie, meanwhile, like the boss-babe she is, parries a battleaxe with her glaive, then twists to one side to evade a spear-thrust from a second orc. But while she’s parrying another orc’s war-hammer, a third orc swings his heavy flail with all his might… only for her full-plate armor absorb most of it, leaving a single dent, and maybe a minor bruise,” she concluded. “Lady Beau, your turn.”

“I turn to Bumi–I mean to Volio and holler, ‘Help Gracie!’ And then I run over to aid Chrie on her end of the fight,” Bolin decided, moving his mini over next to Chrie. “Since I’m tanking, I’ll go into Combat Expertise mode, so I’ll take minus three to attack, but plus three to AC,” he explained to Asami.

“Nice,” Asami nodded.

“And with that, I’ll slash up this orc right here,” he declared, tossing a D20. “That’s thirteen, plus six base attack bonus, plus three for strength, plus one for Weapon Focus, minus three for Combat Expertise, gives me twenty,” he calculated aloud.

“Still hits and then some,” Ikki told him.

“Woot! And a D10 for Bastard Sword damage…” he trailed off, rolling. “And, that’s a four,” he grimaced, glaring at the uncooperative die. “Add my Weapon Specialization bonus, and it’s up to six, but still,” he grumped.

“Lady Beaucourt rushes in to aid her ally, swinging a mighty blow upon one of her orcish assailants. Though the blow is partly deflected by his shield, the blade strikes true, cutting into the monster’s shoulder, if partly absorbed by his chainmail,” Ikki narrated.

“Thanks, Ikki,” Bolin nodded gratefully at her narration.

“Top of the round! Go for it, Ladria!” Ikki announced.

Round two went better, with Ladria focusing down a spear-orc for Chrie to finish off on her turn. Volio rushed in to aid Gracie with his dwarf war-axe, injuring another orc. Going into Power Attack mode with her claymore, Gracie dispatched the orc Volio injured in two hits, then used Cleave to further injure the orc she’d hit in the first round.

“Sweet Cleavage, Korra,” Bolin joked.

“Asami,” Korra requested. Asami reached over and swatted the back of Bolin’s head for her.

“He’s not wrong, though,” Kya added. “You’ve got probably the best Cleavage at this table.”

Aria made a show of leaning forward as if comparing everyone’s boobs—including her own—before signing her agreement with Kya.

On the orcs’ turn, the orcs on the east side of the room found themselves consistently unable to damage the full-plate-clad Chrie and Lady Beaucourt. The crossbow orcs managed a four-damage hit on nimble Ladria. Two more orcs entered from the west, joining those surrounding Volio and Gracie, both of whom Volio and Gracie took minor hits from. Lady Beaucourt ended the round with a minor hit on the flail orc.

“I think we did this wrong,” Bolin commented after his turn. “We’ve got our two tankier characters trying to hold one side, while a damage character and a support character hold the other.”

Rounds three and four went about the same, with Ladria and Gracie dealing the most damage while Lady Beau and Chrie proved consistently difficult for the orcs to hit. Volio took a couple of decent hits in round three, forcing him to use a Cure Light Wounds in round four. In round three, Bolin remembered that his character had Whirlwind Attack, improving Lady Beaucourt’s combat effectiveness.

All hell broke loose when Gracie fell to a battleaxe critical in round five.

“Twenty-two damage, I’m _way_ into negative hit points,” Korra grimaced, tipping her mini over.

The three orcs who hadn’t attacked on that side overwhelmed and felled Volio almost immediately.

“Best of luck, you two,” Bumi shook his head, tipping his mini over as well.

“Sorry,” Ikki grimaced. “I didn’t expect it to go that bad that fast.”

“It’s not like Volio’s durable,” Bumi shrugged.

“Your turn, Lady Beau,” Ikki said.

“Phew, definitely gonna have to reevaluate our strategy,” Bolin decided. “Let’s retreat and use that doorway as a bottleneck,” he said. “I’m gonna disengage from these orcs and make my way to the doorway.”

“Okay, but three of them have Attacks of Opportunity if you do,” Ikki cautioned.

“Mobility,” Bolin corrected her.

Ikki scowled and leaned over to look at his character sheet. “Frick, they’re gonna need a natural twenty to hit you,” she admitted, rolling. “Nope, nope, and nope,” she told them. “Okay, you successfully disengage.”

“I yell to Chrie and Ladria, ‘Fallback to the doorway!’ and then I stand on the other side of the door and go into Combat Expertise mode,” Bolin said. “And, Ladria, your go.”

“Okay, I’ll take a single shot at this orc here,” Asami decided, pointing to one of the crossbow orcs and rolling her D20. “Seventeen plus however much hits.”

“Easily,” Ikki nodded.

“And damage…” Asami trailed off, rolling. “Three,” she scowled. “And then I fall back behind Lady Beaucourt.

“Okay, Volio, what are you at?” Ikki asked.

“Negative three,” Bumi reported. “I roll to stabilize… and nope,” he shook his head.

“Chrie’s turn,” Ikki said. “She’s gonna disengage, taking two attacks of opportunity,” she declared, rolling. “Nope and nope,” she shook her head. “And she’ll retreat one space behind Lady Beau. Gracie, what are you at?”

“Negative eight,” Korra shook her head.

“ _Oh, my god, don’t die!_ ” Ikki winced. “Roll to stabilize.”

“And… a big nope,” Korra shook her head, scowling at her percentage die.

Aria leaned forward, chewing her lower lip. Sokka grimaced, “Yeah, Volio we’ll probably get here in time to save, but Gracie might _die_ , die before we arrive. Not good.”

“I don’t suppose Priestess Elindra has Raise Dead,” Bumi asked.

“Nope,” Ikki shook her head. “She’s a level above you, Volio, but with the Drow level-adjustment, she’s one cleric level behind. We’ll just have to hope that Gracie makes a stabilize roll. Okay, so it’s the orcs, turn—sorry Bo, but you realize everyone’s gonna gang up on the big knight blocking the doorway.”

“Let ‘em try,” Bolin declared defiantly. “I’m taking the full five-point penalty to my attack to add five to my AC. I can’t hit a damn thing, but that’s an armor class of twenty-eight, kiddos!”

“ _Jesus_ ,” Sokka murmured, chuckling.

“Yeah, they’ll need to roll a natural twenty to hit you,” Ikki agreed, raising a brow. She moved the orcs into the doorway in front of Lady Beau, reach weapons a space away, and crossbows a little further back. “Okay, that’s seven attacks against you,” she said, rolling seven times. She laughed as she finished. “All misses,” she shook her head. “There were some good rolls in there, too—a couple natural eighteens, even. So the orcs unleash with their crossbows and stab with their swords and spears and pummel with their flails and maces. But the mighty Lady Beaucourt stands fast, shield raised high, taking hit after hit after furious hit to no effect. Okay, your turn, Lady Beau.”

Bolin grinned and flexed. “I take my first attack on mister battle-axe orc…” he said, rolling. “That’s eighteen! So add plus six base attack bonus, plus three for strength, plus one for Weapon Focus, minus five for Combat Expertise, gives me twenty-three.”

“Roll damage,” Ikki instructed. “Eighteen’s not in a bastard sword’s crit range, right?”

“Nope,” Bolin assured her, shaking his head. “That’s a nine! Plus two for Weapon Specialization comes out to eleven damage.”

“He’s dead, Jim!” Ikki declared.

“Good,” Bolin nodded. “And, next attack,” he said, rolling. “And, that’s a six, so never mind.”

“So despite her focus on defending herself and her teammates, Lady Beau stabs her bastard sword forward, impaling the orc who felled her friend and ally, Gracie” Ikki narrated. “The orc falls backward, sliding off your sword, dead on the ground.”

“ _Go, Lady Beau! Go Lady Beau!_ ” Korra chanted, pounding the table at each syllable. Sokka, Kya, and Ikki joined in a moment later, Aria also slapping the table to the beat.

“Okay, top of round seven,” Ikki announced, quieting everyone. “Ladria give me a Listen…” she trailed off, frowning. “Actually, you know what, never mind. Go ahead and take your turn, Ladria.”

“What were you going to do?” Sokka wanted to know.

“I was gonna sneak a couple of orc rogues in behind everyone through the hole in the roof of the bunk room, this round,” Ikki admitted. “But I feel bad enough that Gracie is probably about to die. Just roll your turn, Ladria.”

“Okay,” Asami shrugged. “I’m gonna lob another couple arrows at this crossbow orc…”

Round seven went similar to round six, with Ladria and Chrie damaging their attackers while Lady Beaucourt held the doorway.

Gracie failed her final stabilizing throw that turn.

“And closing her eyes, the mighty Gracie draws her final breath, succumbing to her massive injuries,” Ikki narrated. “Sorry, Korra,” she murmured.

“Gracie went out like a badass, so it’s all good,” Korra assured her, sitting back and stacking Gracie’s character sheets. “I’ll print out another sheet and roll up a new character while you guys are playing,” she decided.

“You got something in mind already?” Ikki asked.

“Yeah, I liked the damage I was dropping with that great sword, so I think I’ll give it another go,” Korra said. “I also liked what Bolin’s got going with the Leadership feat, so I’ll probably go that direction, either as a paladin or as a fighter who’s working toward Divine Champion.”

“Cool! Looking forward to what you come up with,” Ikki assured her.

While Korra left to print another sheet, the orcs proved once again unable to hit Lady Beaucourt. Bolin sat back, grinning smugly as the orcs flailed against his character.

“If I didn’t feel bad about getting Gracie killed, I’d probably be annoyed about this,” Ikki admitted. “But, yeah, these guys are so pissed that they don’t care about anyone but the celestial-blood in the shiny armor. Go, Bolin.”

“And two attacks while maintaining Combat Expertise,” Bolin announced, rolling. “Miss, and miss,” he declared after rolling. “So at least the orcs aren’t the only ones who can’t hit while I’m in this stance. Go ahead Asami.”

“Yep, top of round eight,” Ikki declared. “So Ladria, as you’re readying another bolt for your next attack, you hear a familiar howl from outside the ruin.”

“Good girl, Naga!” Asami cheered in her character’s voice. Across the room, the real Naga perked her head up and wagged her tail.

“Reinforcements are here!” Ikki announced, placing the other characters’ minis outside the fortress. “But outside your reinforcements encounter seven more orcs, including an orc shaman,” she described, fanning the orcs out around the entryway.

“Looks like we’ll need a tank, so put River in bear-form,” Kya suggested.

“With Traffa riding on River’s back!” Bolin added, laughing.

“Traffa has points in Ride?” Kya asked, looking over at his sheet.

“Yeah, originally it was so she could ride into battle on Naga’s back, but I like the idea of her riding River better,” Bolin explained.

“And River likes being ridden,” Kya agreed.

“Somehow I knew you were gonna go there,” Bumi muttered, shaking his head.

“Hey, Traffa’s happily monogamous, thank you very much,” Bolin objected.

“Okay, reinforcements, roll for initiative,” Ikki instructed.

Amya started the round with a lightning bolt that pretty much incinerated the orc shaman while damaging two of the orc warriors. From there things went badly for the orcs, pinned in between the trapped adventurers and their reinforcements. Asami was particularly impressed with the accuracy and amount of damage Taggart dealt with his crossbow. She made a point of looking into giving Ladria a few fighter levels. Having Traffa ride on River’s back was a cute tactic, but Bolin admitted later that it didn’t really seem to enhance either character’s combat effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Priestess Elindra proved a powerful battle cleric, leading the charge against the orcs and healing Volio in the heat of battle. Ikki seemed to understand the character class well, providing magical support while in the thick of melee and still dishing out decent damage with sword and shield.

With the trapped characters rescued, the party swept through the ruin, driving out the remaining orcs.

“ _Please_ don’t die, Gracie!” Kya pled in River’s voice after she’d dropped her bear-form. “You gave such very nice hugs and kisses and cunny rides! I only got to mate with you _four times_ ; you can’t die now!”

“We’ll, uh, give her a proper burial later,” Sokka offered.

“You discover something interesting while searching for more orcs,” Ikki narrated. “You find one room that was clearly used a dungeon. Two gnoll guards lie dead in the foyer. There’s barred cages and shackles lying within them—clearly this is where the bandits kept hostages and captives. Somebody roll a Knowledge: History check.”

“On it,” Bumi offered. “Thirteen plus four gives me seventeen.”

“From the style of shackles and overall living arrangements, you deduce that most or all of the captives here were intended to be sold as slaves,” Ikki explained. “Um, make a Survival check, Ladria.”

“Nineteen,” Asami answered after rolling.

“From the lack of dust on the shackles, you can tell that the captives were unchained just recently,” Ikki narrated. “But at the same time, you can tell the orcs never entered this room.”

“Ooh, interesting,” Korra commented.

“What else can we determine about this room,” Sokka asked.

“Roll a Spot check,” Ikki instructed.

“Seven,” Sokka grimaced as he rolled.

“Nothing new or out of the ordinary,” Ikki shook her head.

From there they made camp, resting for the day while Ladria, Sokka, and Belaria, the Drow ranger, searched the ruin. Based on their rolls, the searchers recovered over eight-hundred gold pieces, a pair of Masterwork longbows, a coat of Masterwork scale armor, a Cloak of Protection, various non-magical gems and jewelry, and a stash of goblinoid pornography.

“Anyone read Goblin?” Ikki asked.

“Yeah, but I’m afraid to,” Bumi admitted.

“The covers of the magazines say stuff like, ‘Introducing this Year’s Miss Bugbear!’ or ‘Hobgoblin Girls Gone Wild!’ or ‘See the Huntresses of the Urg-bak Clan Bare It All!’” Ikki narrated, signing for Aria as everyone laughed.

“God, you’re warped,” Kya shook her head, chuckling.

“Keep it,” Korra suggested. “Knowing Ikki, it’ll turn out to be a quest item.”

“I call dibs on one of the longbows,” Bolin said. “Can’t hurt to have a ranged weapon, just in case. And, if no one else wants it, Traffa can use the Masterwork scale.”

“I’m going to set aside sixty gold pieces from my share to send back to Gracie’s daughter and grandchildren,” Asami decided as they divvied up the loot.

“That’s a classy move, Asami,” Sokka nodded to her. “I’ll add sixty from my share.”

There seemed a strong consensus around the table as everyone pitched in thirty to sixty gold pieces.

“Wow, that’s really cool, you guys,” Korra admitted, eyes looking a little misty.

“We’ll send it at the next town we get to,” Sokka suggested. “I think we should send her armor and claymore with it.”

“As Gracie’s closest friend, Volio would also know that Gracie’s people practice cremation in their funeral rites,” Korra pointed out.

“Mm, so we can send her ashes back to her family as well,” Bumi agreed, nodding.

The rest of the day proved uneventful as the characters camped in the ruins. The Drow buried their dead while Volio led the party in giving Gracie proper funeral rites. From there the day passed without incident. At nightfall they broke camp and continued tracking the Drider.

“You know that the creature can’t be far ahead of you, since it attacked those bandits the night before you explored their hideout,” Ikki narrated. “Roll a Survival check, Ladria,” she requested, making a roll of her own.

“Sixteen,” Asami reported.

“So the consensus between you and Belariva is that you’re definitely catching up to the creature,” Ikki narrated. “After traveling a little over half the night, the tracks lead to a cave in a hillside.”

“I think we found it,” Bolin whispered loudly, in character.

“Unless there’s another exit,” Bumi added, also in character.

“Oh, fun, we’re going to find the Drider monster now!” Kya gushed in River’s voice.

“Let’s send someone in to scout first,” Sokka suggested as Taggart.

“I’ll go,” Asami volunteered.

“‘Be super careful,’ River warns,’” Kya narrated. “‘I watched the monster fight and I know how strong and scary it is!’ And with that, she kisses you passionately and casts Cat’s Grace on you. That’s plus four to Dex.”

“Nice,” Asami nodded. “I make my way into the cave.”

“Okay, make a Move Silently check, Ladria,” Ikki instructed.

“Twenty-one,” Asami reported.

“You make your way through the cave, creeping like a cat,” Ikki narrated. “There’s glowing crystals to let you see well enough with your Low-Light Vision. Deep into the cave you go, following the Drider’s tracks like Belariva taught you. After ten minutes or so, you spot a soft, green glow in the distance ahead. What do you do?”

“I creep closer,” Asami decided.

“Slinking along the wall, you peek around the corner to find a small encampment with a glowing, green crystal in the center. Roll a Spot check.”

“Eighteen.”

“As you look, you see a couple backpacks and a pair of empty plates with forks and knives stacked on them,” Ikki narrated, voice dropping as she signed dramatically for Aria. “To one side, you see a padded gambeson and upper-half of a suit of Mithral full-plate armor. Beside it there’s a tunic and a dress that look like they’ve been tossed aside. A great sword and a longbow and quiver lean against the far wall. Glancing around for the creature, you eventually look up to see a web woven between several stalactites on the ceiling, maybe eight feet in the air. Within the web you see the creature, sound asleep with a blue-haired elf noblewoman.” Her voice quieted again. “The Lady Farina snores softly, head resting on the Drider’s muscular shoulder. The Drider is female, with a strong, athletic torso, violet skin, and silver hair. They’re naked, you realize, and hold each other in a tender embrace. As you watch, you notice a red tattoo on the Drider’s left shoulder. You recognize it as a chess piece. A _knight_ , specifically. And… end scene, we’ll pick up from there next week,” she concluded, voice returning to normal.

“The symbol of the Red Knight,” Korra murmured. She lowered her head and started chuckling. “Good one, Ikki!”

“Masterfully played,” Sokka grinned, clapping as the others laughed and applauded.

“Wait… wasn’t the noblewoman’s Drow girlfriend a paladin of the Red Knight?” Asami asked, flipping through her notes. “Okay, I get it,” she nodded as it sank in. “So the girlfriend didn’t die, she got turned into a Drider.”

“Yep, which means Lady Farina wasn’t abducted, she _eloped_!” Kya laughed.

“Which leaves us with an interesting dilemma,” Bumi shook his head, chuckling as he gathered his dice. “Because, even as amicable as Priestess Elindra has been, I kinda doubt she’ll let us let the Drider off the hook.”

“That was sharp, Ikki,” Bolin agreed as he gathered his stuff.

“Well, we’ve got a week to think on it, anyway,” Sokka nodded. “You want the rest of these chips, Korra?” he offered.

“Um… sure, just leave them on the counter,” Korra decided as they cleaned up. “There’s clips in the top drawer to the right of the stove.”

“Working on any new songs, Ikki?” Kya asked as they gathered the last of their stuff.

“Yeah! I’m fiddling with Waylon’s lyrics to ‘Ladies Love Outlaws,’” she explained. “It’s tricky, because even though ‘outlaws’ is genderless, to most people it implies male, so I keep wondering if it’s enough to change the pronouns in the verses, or if I should come up with another word for ‘outlaws.’”

“Interesting dilemma,” Kya agreed. “I’d love to hear what you come up with.”

Aria gave Korra a hug, then signed something to Ikki, pointing at her watch.

“Okay, cool,” Ikk nodded, signing back. “Thanks again for hosting, Korra,” she added, turning to give Korra a hug.

“Thanks for DMing, sweetie,” Korra assured her.

Following another round of hugs, Ikki followed Aria out to her motorcycle while Bolin got in his pickup. Bumi drove Sokka home a couple minutes later.

As she was about to step out the front door, Kya turned to Korra and Asami. “I know it’s none of my business, sweeties, but Ikki keeps texting me about you two,” Kya told them, leaning against the door jamb. “And, I just want to say I agree with her that you two would make a gorgeous couple.”

“Thanks,” Korra said, scratching her head. “We’ve talked about going on dates, but haven’t made any definite plans yet.”

“I’ve got a seventy-five dollar gift card to the Whitefalls,” Kya offered. “You two want to meet Lin and me there tomorrow night?”

“I’m game,” Korra shrugged. “What do you think, Asami?”

“Sounds okay to me,” Asami agreed. “What time?”

“Six-thirtyish work?” Kya asked.

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, long chapter! Probably the longest chapter I'll ever write, I suspect. So Ikki's quest is actually one that I came up with a while back and [wrote up](http://heroineimages.tumblr.com/post/143712952284/side-quest-idea-for-dms) for [my Tumblr](http://heroineimages.tumblr.com/). If anyone wants to use the quest idea for their own D&D or Pathfinder campaigns, feel free and let me know how it works out! 
> 
> I apologize again for how long this chapter took. I originally tried to have Sokka or Bumi as DM, but the way the campaign was going just kind of lacked their particular brands of wacky genius. Eventually I experimented with having Ikki DM and liked that a lot better. I also debated a long time over which characters to have playing. I thought Jinora, Opal, and maybe Kai might like to play as well, but having too many players complicates the frick out of your campaign.
> 
> So I'm debating how I want to end this story. Originally I planned to have one more chapter and a shortish epilogue at Bolin and Opal's wedding. But as I've outlined and written the different scenes from the next chapter, I feel like it wraps up kind of nice and tidy. As I've fiddled with ideas for the epilogue, I don't feel like it adds anything to the story beyond a chance to include Mako. There's some cute Ikki/Aria moments, but for the most part I don't feel like I gain anything from the wedding scene. If anyone wants to weigh-in with thoughts and feedback, I'd love to hear them. 
> 
> Lastly, I've got three Korra AUs that I've started chapters for, and I thought I'd let my readers pick which one to go with after I finish this story. I'll post summaries here, and if anyone wants, I can post excerpts from each after the final chapter for this story, to be deleted later.
> 
> First idea: a canon-divergent Runaway AU. Sort of a 'what-if?' AU where Tenzin sends Korra back to the South Pole at the end of the first episode. Choosing not to be cooped up in in the White Lotus compound again, Korra runs away. After meeting Suyin and her family on Kyoshi Island, she travels to Zaofu to learn metalbending. Lots of Spirit World stuff when Aiwei becomes Korra's spiritual leader, eventually introducing her to Zaheer. Story may end up with Korra/Opal focus instead of Korra/Asami. (Which is fine with me, Kopal is my second-favorite LoK ship.)
> 
> Second idea: Ancient Rome AU. Story takes place in Roman Spain before and during the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey. Korra is a gladiatrix who catches the eye of Asami, a wealthy merchant-princess. Mako and Bolin are legionaries in Pompey's armies. Will feature some minor character deaths, and will probably be rated Explicit for some fairly graphic Ancient-world violence and sexuality. 
> 
> Third idea: Star Wars Jedi AU. Features Tenzin as a Jedi Master who escaped Palpatine's Order 66 with the youngling Korra and later married and raised Force-sensitive children (still deciding which ones). Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin, Opal, and Kya are all members of the Rebellion. Features Kuvira as an Imperial commander and Bumi as a Rebel Alliance commander. Also has some major character deaths.


	6. A Pair of Dinner Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of cute dinner dates, and Asami makes a surprise purchase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something for all the folks asking for Korrasami fluff!

“I mean, I’d been playing football since elementary school, and I’ve never _seen_ someone get knocked that hard,” Korra told Asami over appetizers. “I swear Bolin bounced twice when he hit the grass, and he just lays there on his back. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, _shit_ , I just killed one of my best friends,’ when the big goof starts laughing. So he rolls over onto his knees and takes his helmet off and hollers, ‘That was _awesome_! Did you see that, Coach Toza? Awesome hit, Korra!’”

Asami felt herself chuckle at Korra’s Bolin impression.

“Is that what’s wrong with him? Too many knocks to the head?” Lin suggested from across the table. Asami was quickly learning that Lin had inherited a great deal of her mother’s snarkiness.

Kya just shook her head as she held hands with Lin. Kya wore a dark blue dress with matching jacket, while Lin looked sharp in a black jacket with dark-green pantsuit.

Korra looked incredible in her light-blue evening dress, the lack of sleeves showing off her muscular arms and shoulders. Asami wore a crimson evening gown with a black sash. She’d originally planned to wear heels, but decided against it when she saw Korra wearing flats. Asami suspected Korra’s back issues might prevent her from wearing heels, and she didn’t want Korra to think she was rubbing it in.

The Whitefalls Overlook turned out to be a relatively upscale lunch and dinner restaurant north of Republic City. It was located directly next to a series of waterfalls, with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the falls and pool below. The four of them sat at the tables on the open balcony, chatting as they waited for their orders.

 “Anyway, so that’s how I made the varsity team my sophomore year,” Korra concluded her story.

 “Bolin’s kind of a hefty guy,” Asami commented, sipping her wine. “It’s impressive you could hit him that hard.”

“Well, my dad also played football in high school and college,” Korra admitted. “He trained me pretty well on how to level someone bigger than me. What about you? Play any sports in school?”

“Not really, at least not competitively,” Asami shook her head. “I mean, I enjoy swimming and running and working out, but competing never interested me.”

“That’s fair,” Korra agreed. “There’s something to preferring to be better than you previously were over being better than someone else.”

“Yeah, that’s a good way to put it,” Asami nodded, taking another sip of wine. “All seven years I was in college, I was a regular at the student rec centers.”

“That’s a lot of years of college,” Kya mused. “How many degrees do you have?”

“An Associate’s in Business Communication, separate Bachelor’s in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, and an MBA in Business Management,” Asami listed. “Oh, and I have an Undergraduate Certificate in Technical Writing.”

“Frick. My online Bachelor’s in Social Work feels kinda small at this point,” Korra murmured, frowning.

“Sorry, I promise I wasn’t trying to make a competition out of it,” Asami assured her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply…” Korra shook her head in apparent amazement. “Just… wow, you’re freaking smart. So, uh, how’d you like the honeymoon, Lin?” she asked, turning to Lin and Kya.

“Spectacular,” Kya smirked, answering for her. “She spent most of it getting mad laid with a sexy— _ouch_!” she cut off with Lin’s elbow in her ribs.

“It was… nice,” Lin admitted. “I haven’t been to the Redwoods since I was a kid and I haven’t been to the coast since I was in high school.”

“The coast was great,” Kya added. “I think that might bruise,” she frowned, rubbing her side.  “Anyway, as a couple older gals who’ve kept our figures pretty well, you wouldn’t believe the compliments we got about our bathing suits. Lin kept getting annoyed about it—you’d think she’s never been complimented on her looks before.”

“Not often,” Lin grumped, scowling in the general direction of her wine glass. Asami wasn’t sure if the grumpiness was from Kya’s teasing or because people rarely complimented her looks.

“Well, get used to it, babe,” Kya chuckled, reaching a hand up to play with Lin’s hair. “I think people like this softer side I bring out in you.”

“Agh, why do you have to tease me like that?” Lin complained through the cracks in her softening façade.

“Because you make it so easy,” Kya answered, smooching her cheek.

“Anyway, so I saw the Tillamook Creamery for the first time since grade school—I couldn’t believe how much they’ve done with it since then,” Lin continued. “And I think I’d like to go back to the Evergreen museum sometime.”

“I know most of these ladies,” a new voice interjected. “Hello! It’s good to see all of you.”

They turned as an elegant, bespectacled middle-aged woman stepped up to their table. Behind her followed an older gentleman in his eighties, rolling up in a wheelchair.

“Hi, Korra, Lin, Kya,” the older man said.

“Izumi, hey,” Korra smiled, standing to take the woman’s hand. “Hey, Teo,” she said, leaning down to hug the older gentleman. Kya also stood to hug them while Lin offered handshakes.

“Asami,” Korra said as Asami stood to meet the others, “I’d like you to meet Izumi. She’s one of the more prominent businesswomen in Republic City. Her dad, Zuko, is one of Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph’s oldest friends. And this is Teo, he’s another friend of Sokka and Katara’s old group. His dad founded Northern Skies Pizza, just down the road from here. Guys, meet Asami, my new roommate.”

“Lovely to meet both of you,” Asami smiled, shaking their hands in turn.

Izumi regarded Asami curiously for a moment. “Aren’t you Asami Sato? Hiroshi Sato’s daughter?” she asked.

“I… yes, he’s my dad,” Asami confirmed, resisting the temptation to deny it. “Are you an associate of his?”

“Not directly,” Izumi shook her head. “But I’ve purchased equipment from Future Industries in the past, and I recognize you from some of their publicity material. What brings you to Republic City?”

“I accepted a teaching job at the college,” Asami told her.

“I see. Good luck with that,” Izumi nodded, as if suspecting there was a lot more to it, but was polite enough not to ask. Asami wondered how much Izumi had heard about her father’s scandal. “I understand congratulations are in order, you two,” she continued, turning to Kya and Lin as the group sat down. “There’s a crazy rumor that you two eloped recently.”

“Now who would start a wacky rumor like that?” Kya wanted to know, leaning an elbow on Lin’s shoulder.

“Are you planning a party or reception of some kind?” Teo asked, turning his wheelchair toward them.

“Eventually,” Lin said.

“We’d planned to have one right after we got back, but with Opal and Bolin getting married, we decided to wait until after their wedding,” Kya assured them.

“I hadn’t heard you were back in Republic City,” Lin commented to Izumi. “Is your dad okay?”

“He’s still recovering from his operation, back in Seattle,” Izumi assured her. “Iroh and Urza are still with him. I’m just back for a few days to close this deal with Teo,” she explained, gesturing to Teo. “I bought the pizzeria.”

“Huh. I hadn’t heard,” Lin said, looking surprised.

“Yeah, business has been bad the past few years,” Teo admitted, scratching his head. “We’ve got too much competition these days, and we just can’t afford the advertising that Domino’s or Pizza Hut or Papa Murphy’s get.”

“Well that stinks, but I guess it was inevitable,” Korra frowned, pouting a little bit.

“What are your plans for the restaurant?” Kya asked Izumi.

“We’re making plans to convert it into more of an Italian restaurant, rather than strictly a pizzeria,” Izumi assured her. “Pizza will still be on the menu, but we’ll be adding various pastas and other signature Italian dishes. Teo and his family will still manage it, but I’ll be adding to the advertising budget, and hopefully we can make this an easy transition.”

“Okay, now _that’s_ a cool idea,” Korra agreed. “Republic City has lots of places for pizza, but we don’t really have a good Italian restaurant in town. Asking for Tenzin’s kids, but are you gonna be keeping the arcade games and pinball machines?”

“ _Just_ asking for Tenzin’s kids?” Teo snorted disbelievingly. “I know how many hundreds of hours you and Mako and Bolin spent on those machines with Suyin’s kids, Korra.”

“So you also know how many hundreds of quarters we spent on those machines,” Korra replied, wrinkling her nose and sticking out her tongue at him. “So you’ve got nothing to complain about.”

“The arcade will probably have to go—or will at least get smaller, I’m afraid,” Izumi admitted. “With the new remodeling plans, there’s not really room for it. We’ll probably look into selling them off in the near future.”

“How much do you want for them?” Asami asked before she could talk herself out of it.

“I’m not sure yet; I still need to look into their market price,” Teo told her. “Why, are you looking into buying them?”

“It’s super cool of you to offer, Asami, but where are we gonna put eight video arcade machines and four big pinball games?” Korra asked.

“Not all of them,” Asami backpedaled. “But I think we’ve got room downstairs for two or three machines. Which ones were you and Tenzin’s kids’ favorites?”

Korra raised her brows and chewed her lower lip as she thought it over.

* * *

* * *

Still holding onto their Panda Express bags, Ikki unwrapped her right arm from Aria’s waist as they dismounted the little Harley Sportster in the park’s parking lot. It occurred to Ikki that Korra was the only other person she’d ever ridden on a motorcycle with. Aria was trim and athletic with strong shoulders, but wasn’t nearly as muscular as Korra. The feelings she used to get from having her arms around Korra’s waist when they rode around town were among Ikki’s first realizations that she was gay for her best friend.

Leaving their helmets with the bike, they wandered down toward their favorite shady spot next to the river. “ _I like your Harley_ ,” Ikki signed, bags dangling from her wrist as Aria carried a blanked to sit on and a Frisbee. “ _You said you bought it from one of your uncle’s friends?_ ”

Laying the blanket out, Aria nodded and signed, “ _Yes. My mom’s brother and his girlfriend and friends were about the only allies I had down in Sacramento,_ ” she admitted, grimacing as they sat on the blanket.

“ _I’m so sorry_ ,” Ikki signed, then handed Aria her takeout. Ikki ordered fried rice and veggie rolls, while Aria got a double-helping of rice with orange chicken and Sweet-Fire chicken. Ikki didn’t eat chicken, but she could understand how that would make for a tasty sweet-and-spicy combo. “ _So you didn’t make any friends at your school or anything down there?_ ” she asked, after setting her drink down.

Aria shook her head angrily. Ikki was about to apologize for asking when Aria signed again. “ _The high school Mom enrolled me in treated me like I was mentally handicapped_.” She took a long drink from her Sprite, then set it down and glared across the pond. “ _Up here I had straight As in school and should have been in AP classes by last year. Down there, my teachers and counselors acted like I was an inconvenience and only grudgingly helped me when I needed it. My interpreters were only marginally competent and, like my teachers, seemed to think I should use fucking hearing aids. The whole system felt fucked against me and my grades took a nosedive into the toilet. My English teacher went off more than once about how Sign Language was handicapping me from learning proper English. And I’m just like, bitch, I’ve got one cousin with a Master’s in Medieval Literature who translates texts to and from Middle and Old English for a living, and another cousin with a PhD in English Education who’s an Associate Professor at MIT, and they’re as Deaf as I am. Go ahead and tell them to their faces just how much Sign Language handicaps them, you toxic moron with a single Bachelor’s degree_.”

“ _I’m sorry you had to deal with all that,_ ” Ikki signed.

“ _I couldn’t even enjoy band class because the director was pissed that a Deaf girl beat his son for first chair tenor saxophone,_ ” Aria shook her head. “ _Because of the school’s bullshittery, I have to take summer courses to get my grades back up. I start classes next week_ ,” she explained. “ _Jinora already said she’d help me get caught up._ ”

Ikki frowned for a moment. “ _Someday when you’re a successful composer and musician, you should send all of those teachers and counselors copies of articles about you and reviews of your latest songs and compositions, with a big FUCK YOU attached to them_ ,” she suggested.

She watched the corner of Aria’s mouth curl upward slightly. “ _I’d like to send some harsher ‘fuck-yous’ to my grandma and stepdad,_ ” she admitted. “ _Grandma’s such a vindictive bitch, blaming me for my parent’s divorce, despite that she was the driving force behind it. And my stepdad was verbally abusive—like, just because I can’t hear what you’re saying doesn’t mean I can’t fucking understand you. Or maybe he knew that but just didn’t care. Even though I got caught, running away was probably the best decision I made_.”

“ _You tried to run away?_ ” Ikki asked, her cheek full of rice.

“ _It’s how I ended up buying the Harley_ ,” Aria nodded, setting her fork down to sign better. “ _My uncle convinced his friend Mike to sell it to me so I’d have a getaway vehicle. I snuck out early one morning, backpack and saddlebags loaded with food and a couple changes of clothes—all of it stuff I bought with my own money; I didn’t want anyone accusing me of stealing. I headed north up I-5 with no intent of looking back. I made it as far as Redding when a Shasta County deputy saw me at a convenience store and figured out I was the runaway they were looking for. After they brought me home, Mom put me in therapy to work out my ‘emotional issues.’ My therapist probably saved my life._ ”

“ _Were things really that bad?_ ” Ikki asked, frowning deeper. The thought of someone as lively and kind as Aria contemplating suicide felt… _jarring_ to Ikki.

“ _Some days_ ,” Aria acknowledged, shaking her head. “ _I think on most days, spite drove me to keep going. Doctor Corinne figured out that the whole… situation was killing me. She tried to get my mom to reconsider the custody arrangements, but of course Grandma nixed that. Thankfully, Corinne had friends in high places—a judge and some investigators—to look into my situation. I don’t really understand all the legal details, but they managed to get my dads custody of me back, and my stepdad got some kind of a fine for child-abuse or child-neglect or something like that. I wish he’d gone to jail, but I’ll take what I can get._

“ _I’m so glad to be back_ ,” Aria signed, weeping and letting out a loud, ugly sob. “ _I’m so glad I’ve got you back_ ,” she finished as Ikki folded her in her arms, weeping as well.

“ _Is it fucked up that I still feel bad for my mom, though?_ ” Aria asked as they cried together for several minutes. “ _I mean, even though she got me into that situation, she’s almost as manipulated and abused as I was, and now she has to face all that alone._ ”

“ _Have you tried to reach out to her?_ ” Ikki asked as they went back to eating. “ _Could you send her an email or something?_ ”

Aria shook her head, diving back into her rice and chicken before answering. “ _Step-dad is an intrusive son of a bitch. I know for a fact that he was snooping through my email and phone and browser history; I’m sure he does the same to Mom. If I tried to contact her, he’d learn about it. It’s why my uncle and I had to meet in person whenever we were working out my plans to run away._ ”

Ikki thought it over as they continued to eat. “ _Could you still arrange something through your uncle, though?_ ” Ikki asked after a moment. “ _Maybe email letters to him that he can show to your mom?_ ”

Aria pursed her lips and tilted her head a bit, as if thinking about it. “ _It’s something to consider, I suppose,_ ” she agreed. “ _Thanks, Ikki_.”

* * *

* * *

“If it wasn’t so late, I’d text Ikki about your latest purchase,” Korra admitted, getting the garage door for Asami. “Tenzin’s kids will flip about it when I tell them.”

“I’d liked to have bought the whole set, but you’re right that there’d be no place to put eight standup arcade machines, let alone four pinball games,” Asami said, stepping up into the house. “Hopefully their three favorites will do.”

“Do?” Korra snorted, stepping up and resting an elbow on each of Asami’s shoulders, arms sticking out straight behind her with her wrists crossed. “Asami, they’re gonna love you for it! They’ll get to play their favorite arcade games for _free_! It’s one of the classiest things I’ve ever seen anyone do,” she assured Asami, gazing up into her eyes.

“I’m glad you think so,” Asami answered, placing her arms around Korra’s back and gazing into those crystal blues. “You and everyone else have been so welcoming… buying those games just feels like such a token gesture of thanks. You’re wonderful, all of you,” she whispered, leaning in to hug Korra. She felt a tear on her cheek as they hugged.

They pulled back just enough to press their foreheads together. Asami felt Korra’s thumb softly brush the tear away.

Korra stepped back and tapped her phone a couple times. As she set it down, Don Williams’s “You’re My Best Friend,” started playing over the speakers.

“My mom and dad’s song,” Korra explained, taking Asami in her arms and swaying slowly to the mellow melody.

“Does Ikki have a lesbian cover of this one, too?” Asami asked, just enjoying holding Korra close.

“Of course,” Korra laughed. “I’ll also put in a request for it on the music list for Bolin and Opal’s wedding.”

“It’s nice—very soothing,” Asami agreed as they slow-danced.

“May I kiss you, Asami,” Korra whispered as the song ended, her hand resting on Asami’s cheek, head already tilted to kiss her. Charley Pride’s “She’s Too Good to be True” started playing next.

“Yeah, okay,” was all Asami could think to say, the wine and Korra’s eyes making her brain too cloudy to think up a suave reply.

Their lips met for several seconds, moving softly across each other before parting. Trying to breathe through her nose, Asami leaned in again, lip bumping one of Korra’s teeth as Korra leaned up to meet her, both of them a little too eager. Korra’s kisses tasted of wine and chocolate fondue with a hint of alfredo sauce.

In the back of her mind Asami acknowledged that they both should probably have grabbed after-dinner mints on their way out the door.

“Was that okay?” Korra asked as they parted. “I’m kind of out of practice.”

“I liked it,” Asami smiled down at her, hands clasped at the small of Korra’s back. “You have a very… honest kiss—very, um, _sincere_ in your passions and desires.”

“Thanks. I, uh, I don’t normally kiss on the first date, but I–I just really, really _wanted_ to,” Korra told her, blushing.

“Was this really our _first_ date, though?” Asami asked, knowing she was rationalizing. “I mean, we’ve been out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee. We live together and make each other dinner, and I’ve met your parents and your friends. I’d say that could count as already dating.”

“God, we’re such a pair of dorky bisexuals,” Korra chuckled, leaning up to hug Asami again.

“You’re a great hugger,” Asami observed, enjoying Korra’s strong arms around her.

“One more kiss before we call it a night?”

“Sure,” Asami smiled.

Korra’s second kiss felt a little more confident as their lips met and moved across each other. It lasted a little longer, too, and it took all of Asami’s willpower to not grab Korra’s butt out of appreciation.

“I think I could fall in love with you,” Asami murmured as their lips parted and they clutched each other’s backs.

“Goodnight, Asami,” Korra smiled up at her as they finally started to step back.

“Goodnight, Korra,” Asami smiled back, fingers lingering on Korra’s as she stepped back to head downstairs.

* * *

* * *

“Is that the theme from _M*A*S*H_?” Asami asked, hearing a saxophone duet from one of the back bedrooms as she and Korra entered Pema and Tenzin’s living room. A tenor sax played the background harmony while an alto played the chorus.

“Yeah, Ikki and Aria were practicing and deciding what song to play for Opal and Bolin’s wedding,” Jinora explained, setting her book aside as they sat down. Korra sat on the couch with her while Asami took the old, oaken rocker. 

“And _M*A*S*H_ was one of their options?” Korra frowned.

“I doubt it,” Jinora laughed. “I think they picked their song already, and now they’re just messing around. I mean, they were playing ‘Brian Boru’s March’ just before you got here.”

“That’s a relief,” Korra agreed. “Given that the actual title of the song is ‘Suicide is Painless,’ that might be considered a marginally offensive song for a wedding.”

“It’d be even more offensive for a funeral,” Meelo added, not looking up from his phone. Rohan stood next to his chair, watching whatever game Meelo was playing over his shoulder.

“Can’t argue with that,” Korra snorted.

“Does Aria play a lot of instruments?” Asami asked.

“Aria loves all kinds of musical instruments. Soprano, alto, tenor, or baritone sax; b-flat, bass, or contrabass clarinet; oboe or bassoon: any reed instrument you want to give her, Aria can play it,” Jinora explained. “She’s also a talented pianist and drummer—”

“ _Percussionist_ ,” Meelo corrected.

“—and she plays trumpet and French horn a little,” Jinora continued, ignoring him. “She says she wants to learn guitar, banjo, and accordion, as well. But her favorite instrument is the bagpipes.”

“She has a set of bagpipes?” Asami asked, raising a brow.

“Two sets,” Korra laughed. “She’s got a small, concert set that she uses with the school’s concert band and wind ensemble, and then a big set of battle-pipes that she plays with the marching band and with her granddad’s pipes-and-drums troupe.”

“Oh, is her family Scottish?” Asami asked, though it made sense, somehow.

“Very,” Jinora nodded. “Her grandpa’s family emigrated here from Glasgow back in the ‘50s, and her grandma’s family is Scotch-Irish.”

“You noticed Aria was wearing a utilikilt at D&D night. She’s got at least a half-dozen other kilts that she wears from time to time, too,” Korra added. “So anyway, Asami and I kind of have big news that we thought you kids might like to hear. Rohan, you wanna go fetch Ikki and Aria?”

“Yeah, if I have to,” Rohan grumbled, kind of moseying in the direction of Ikki and Jinora's bedroom. 

A moment later the music stopped abruptly with a loud, “ _Hey!_ ” and then, “Rohan, you rotten little turd-sniffer!”

“Don’t blame me! Korra’s the one who told me to come get you,” Rohan protested, running back down the hall with a Super-Soaker. Asami didn't recall him having it when he went to fetch them.

“Rohan! No squirt-guns in the house!” Pema scolded as she entered from the kitchen.

Ikki entered the living room a moment later, the front of her light-pink tee-shirt soaked enough to tell that she was wearing a dark-colored bra underneath. Aria stepped out behind her, covering her mouth as if to keep from laughing. Her black Def Leopard shirt and khaki utilikilt bore a few splashes of water, but clearly Ikki had been the primary target. 

“Sorry, Ikki,” Korra shook her head. “I should know by now not to send Rohan.”

“Little cretin,” Ikki glared at her little brother. “I know where you sleep!” she threatened, pointing at him.

“So anyway, Korra, you said you and Asami had big news for us,” Jinora interrupted, signing for Aria. 

“Oh, my god! You’re _engaged_!” Ikki squealed, rushing over to hug Korra. 

“No, Ikki, we’re not engaged,” Korra laughed, hugging her back and apparently unperturbed that Ikki was getting her shirt wet. 

“That’s seriously your first guess?” Meelo said, looking up from his game. 

“Hey, I can always hope,” Ikki scowled, sticking her tongue out at him. She made no effort to untangle herself from Korra, instead snuggling up on her lap. Which Asami found delightfully ridiculous given that Ikki was taller than Korra.

“It’s okay, Bolin’s first guess was that I was pregnant,” Asami interjected.

“Really?” Jinora asked, frowning over at her while interpreting the conversation for Aria.

“Yeah, then he apologized and tried to defend himself by arguing that he had no idea what Asami’s love-life might have been like before moving here,” Korra confirmed. “Then he apparently realized he might have accidentally implied Asami was promiscuous and tried to backpedal from there. And then he apologized again and said, ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you are.’ It was painful to watch, and I could visibly see the wheels coming off in his head. And, sadly, it’s probably not even in the top fifty most awkward conversations I’ve had with Bo.”

“So what _is_ your big news?” Pema asked.

“Well, we were at the Whitefalls Overlook with Kya and Lin last night, when we bumped into Izumi and Teo,” Korra explained. “Apparently Izumi bought Northern Skies and they’re gonna convert it from a pizzeria into more of an Italian restaurant, which means the arcade has to go, sadly.”

“Oh no,” Ikki murmured, covering her mouth.

“Asami, however, who keeps slowly revealing how awesome she is,” Korra continued. Asami felt her ears and cheeks warm at the praise. “Asami bought three of your favorite arcade machines, and we’re gonna set them up in the basement, so anyone can play them whenever they want.”

“Oh, cool!” Meelo said, finally sitting up straight and setting his phone down.

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Which ones did you get?” Ikki wanted to know, hopping up from Korra’s lap to rush over and give Asami a hug.

“We got the two _X-Men_ games, because Korra said they were your favorites,” Asami told her, deciding to be amused rather than annoyed that Ikki was getting her blouse wet. “And we got another called _Gauntlet Legends_.”

“You got _X-Men_ and _X-Men: Children of the Atom_?” Ikki squeaked, hugging her harder. “I love both of those!”

“ _And_ you got _Gauntlet Legends_ …?” Rohan asked. “That’s my favorite game ever!”

“No kidding,” Meelo agreed. “None of the console versions even came close to the original arcade game. Thanks, Asami!”

“Consider it _my_ thanks for being so welcoming, you guys,” Asami assured him, still cradling a snugglesome Ikki on her lap. “I moved here to escape a bad situation and found myself in a more wonderful situation than I dared to hope. And it’s all thanks to you guys.” She gave Ikki another fond squeeze. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apparently don't know how to write Lin when she isn't grouchy. I wanted to do more with her in that dinner scene, but I just couldn't get a feel for the dynamics of her and Kya's relationship. Any advice on writing their ship in the future would be most welcome. 
> 
> Nextly, I gave a lot of thought to ending the story with this chapter. I feel like that last scene wraps everything up nicely and ends on a pretty positive note. But I've already written parts of scenes that come later, and eventually I decided to keep at it. So there'll be another chapter after this plus a short and sweet epilogue (and, oddly, it's not the epilogue I'd originally had in mind). 
> 
> And to repeat my previous news, I'm holding a vote to decide which of three Korra AUs to explore next. So far the Rome AU is way in the lead, with Star Wars as a distant second. If anyone who hasn't voted wants to chime in, feel free!
> 
> First idea: a canon-divergent Runaway AU. Sort of a 'what-if?' AU where Tenzin sends Korra back to the South Pole at the end of the first episode. Choosing not to be cooped up in in the White Lotus compound again, Korra runs away. After meeting Suyin and her family on Kyoshi Island, she travels to Zaofu to learn metalbending. Lots of Spirit World stuff when Aiwei becomes Korra's spiritual leader, eventually introducing her to Zaheer. Story may end up with Korra/Opal focus instead of Korra/Asami. (Which is fine with me, Kopal is my second-favorite LoK ship.)
> 
> Second idea: Ancient Rome AU. Story takes place in Roman Spain before and during the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey. Korra is a gladiatrix who catches the eye of Asami, a wealthy merchant-princess. Mako and Bolin are legionaries in Pompey's armies. Will feature some minor character deaths, and will probably be rated Explicit for some fairly graphic Ancient-world violence and sexuality.
> 
> Third idea: Star Wars Jedi AU. Features Tenzin as a Jedi Master who escaped Palpatine's Order 66 with the youngling Korra and later married and raised Force-sensitive children (still deciding which ones). Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin, Opal, and Kya are all members of the Rebellion. Features Kuvira as an Imperial commander and Bumi as a Rebel Alliance commander. Also has some major character deaths.


	7. Game On!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Video game night with the new arcade games turns into something more for Korra and Asami as well as for Ikki and Aria!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Korra/Asami fluff interwoven with Ikki/Aria fluff!

“Mutant scum terminated,” Meelo declared in a robotic voice, signing the taunt as Aria’s purple-haired ninja character bounced three times, collapsing to the ground.

Aria clutched her chest dramatically as her character died, then made what Asami now recognized as the sign for _dead_. Meelo was apparently on a roll tonight with his giant robot character on the _X-Men: Children of the Atom_ arcade game. He’d beaten Jinora’s Storm, Korra’s Wolverine, and now Aria’s Psylocke.

“Oh, my turn!” Ikki said, stepping over from watching Wei, Senna, Pema, and Rohan play _Gauntlet Legends_. This game appeared to be a cooperative fantasy-adventure game, where players picked their character type and fought off wave upon wave of assorted monsters. Pema had apparently never played before, but admitted she liked playing the beefy warrior guy. Over on the couch, Wing, Bumi, Opal, and Bolin trash-talked while racing on Mario Kart. Tonraq, Kai, and Sokka, meanwhile, had the access panel off of a six-player, dual-screen _X-Men_ arcade game, trying to figure out why the attack button for Nightcrawler’s controls didn’t work.

“Time to whoop-up on this whippersnapper with m’girl, Spiral!” Ikki declared, hopping up on one of the padded black stools Asami and Korra bought for the arcade machines.

“This unit will crush the alien scum-wad!” Meelo declared back as Ikki selected her character: a six-armed woman with a vaguely samurai-like helmet.

“No, this alien scum-wad will avenge her mutant ninja girlfriend!” Ikki countered. “And then she’ll bring her back to life as a _cyborg_ mutant ninja girlfriend who can create real- and psionic ninja weapons with her mind!”

Aria laughed as Korra interpreted the conversation for her.

“That’s an oddly specific and elaborate scenario, Ikki,” Asami observed as Ikki and Meelo’s characters started beating on each other.

“She wrote a fan fiction about it once,” Jinora said from where she stood next to Meelo. Meelo’s robot unleashed deadly barrages of missiles and laser beams, but Ikki dodged and blocked them with far more skill than Aria or Korra had.

“Since when are Psylocke and Spiral ‘girlfriends’?” Meelo wanted to know as Ikki’s character knocked his robot back with a series of flashy attacks that involved summoning glowing swords. “And since when is Spiral gay?”

“ _Pfft_ , if Spiral isn’t a bi- or lesbian icon, she ought to be. If not, it’s a colossal missed opportunity on Marvel’s part,” Ikki disagreed, pummeling his robot, then smashing it through the floor of their battle arena. “I mean, what better use for those six hands than to manhandle some lucky girlfriend’s private parts all at the same time?”

Aria chuckled and Asami heard Bolin ask, “Did she really just say what I think she said?”

“I… have no idea how to argue against that,” Meelo admitted.

“Don’t try,” Jinora cautioned.

“Mwa-ha-ha! Another victory for Ikki’s superior logic faculties!” Ikki laughed evilly as her character clobbered Meelo’s robot with another series of fist and sword attacks.

“Gah, how are you so good at this?” Meelo complained, grimacing as Ikki’s character pummeled his robot into the edge of the screen.

“Because Spiral and Psylocke are the only two characters she ever played on this game, remember?” Jinora answered.

“I tried Storm, but she didn’t really fit my playstyle,” Ikki shrugged as her character unleashed another deadly combo on Meelo’s robot.

“Gah! Unit destroyed!” Meelo grimaced, gripping his hair melodramatically as his robot bit the dust.

“Round two, Robo-Cop!” Ikki grinned.

Meelo grudgingly took the controls again. “Ugh, why do I feel like round two won’t go any better than round one?”

It didn’t.

* * *

* * *

“Thanks so much for rescuing those old arcade machines, Asami,” Ikki said as they hugged.

“Yeah, that was really cool of you,” Meelo agreed. “It’ll for sure make videogame nights way more fun.”

“Well, Korra seemed kind of bummed about it, and she said how much those machines meant to you guys,” Asami admitted, giving Ikki one last squeeze. “Once again, consider it my thanks for being so welcoming and helping me feel more at home than I’ve ever felt before.”

“Thanks for helping haul those games home, Dad,” Korra thanked Tonraq, giving him and her mom hugs goodbye.

“Sure thing, sweetie,” Tonraq said. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t get the controls on that other X-Men game to work. I know it was always you and Mako and Bolin’s favorite.”

“I’ll try looking into it,” Asami promised. “I haven’t done much electronics work since college, but I’ll do some research on arcade machine maintenance and see what I can learn.”

“That’d be really cool,” Bolin told her. “We grew up with that game, and it’d be fun to have Mako over to play it when he gets in next week.”

“It was a fun evening regardless of the electronic setbacks,” Sokka assured them. “I may ask Teo if he’d be willing to donate the pinball machines to the seniors’ center. The video games I doubt they’d be much interested in, but I think there’re several of those old folks who might enjoy the pinball games.”

“I love how you say ‘old folks,’ when a lot of those folks are young enough to be your kids,” Korra chuckled.

Sokka shrugged. “Some of us age better than others.”

The farewells exchange migrated out into the driveway as a few spatters of rain came down. Wing and Wei climbed into Wei’s green, late-‘90’s Camaro. They said goodbye to Korra’s parents, then to Bolin and Sokka when Ikki piped up. “Hey, Aria wants to know if it’s okay if we soak in the hot tub.”

“Sure, it’s okay,” Korra told her. “If you kids want to run home and get your bathing suits, I’ll go take the cover off the tub and get it ready.”

“No thanks,” Jinora shook her head. “I can feel a sugar crash coming on—too much soda tonight.”

“Naw, too much girl-cooties in the water,” Rohan said, wrinkling his nose.

“Yeah, I think I’m with Rohan on this one,” Meelo decided.

“Stop worrying, stupidity produces antibodies against cooties,” Ikki assured them.

“You girls can still come back, though,” Pema offered, signing for Aria. “I’m sure we can find a bathing suit for Aria to borrow.”

While Pema took the kids home, Asami headed downstairs to find a bathing suit. After some digging through her clothes eventually she picked a dark blueish-purple one-piece, with large, diamond cutouts over her back and belly. She hadn’t worn it in a while, but it seemed to fit just fine. Slipping her sandals on, she headed upstairs to help Korra.

Outside, Korra had already taken the cover off the tub and changed into a white bikini top with dark blue trunks. Though they’d soaked in the hot tub before, this was the first time Asami had seen Korra in a bikini top. She had to fight to not stare at Korra’s bare abs, in addition to being a little surprised by her slightly outie bellybutton.

“Sorry, I meant to get out here in time to help you set up,” Asami apologized as she stepped out the back door and strode over to the partly enclosed deck that latticed off two sides of the hot tub. Apparently Korra had also already gotten the water jets going, rippling and bubbling the surface of the steamy water.

“No worries,” Korra assured her, folding up the cover. “It only takes a sec to… sec to… _wow_ ,” she trailed off as she looked over at Asami. “You look… wow.”

“Too revealing?” Asami frowned, looking down at her bathing suit. “I wanted something covering with Ikki and Aria around, but this was the most conservative bathing suit I own.”

“Babe, you’re gonna look drop-dead sexy no matter what swimsuit you wear,” Korra chuckled, setting the cover aside. “You’d look spectacular even in one of those ‘20’s bathing suits—you know, the stripy, knee-length ones with the sleeves and high neck line?” She stepped over the side and into the tub, offering Asami a hand in.

“Always the gentlewoman,” Asami smiled, taking her hand and easing into the warm, wonderful bubbles. They sat down across from each other. Asami closed her eyes as she lounged back, partly to enjoy the warm water, partly to keep from staring at Korra’s boobs.

“This is why I’m glad I got a new roommate so quickly,” Korra admitted as rain splashed against the deck’s aluminum roof. “The hot tub is great, but it kind of adds a lot to the utility bills.”

“And I suppose this time of year it’s a little warm for much of this kind of soaking,” Asami agreed, opening her eyes. She caught Korra averting her eyes guiltily, as if she’d been staring.

“Yeah, a lot of the time,” Korra nodded. “It’s kinda relaxing to soak and listen to the rain come down, but we get more rain in the spring and fall. Pretty much all spring and fall, really,” she added as the thought it over. “Then in the winter it’s nice to soak and sip schnapps and cocoa and watch the snow come down. I’ve spent more than a few winter afternoons and evenings soaking with Opal or my folks or Tenzin’s family.”

“Sounds lovely,” Asami agreed smiling at the mental image. “It also sounds like a wonderful setting for making out or making love,” she added.

“Y’know, I’ve never really gotten to,” Korra admitted. “Opal and Bolin have plenty of times, but I haven’t really been that serious with anyone since before I started renting this place. I’ve never even gotten naked in the hot tub, come to think of it. I got topless, one time, but alcohol was involved.”

“Sounds like fun was had, anyway,” Asami laughed at the image of a tipsy, topless Korra.

“Drunk game of Truth or Dare with some of the gals from high school,” Korra waved it off.

“Still sounds like quite a show to me,” Asami assured her, trying not to stare at Korra’s blue eyes or strong shoulders or the indentation of her nipples against her bikini top. “ _I_ certainly wouldn’t have minded being there.”

Korra blushed and bit her lower lip for a moment. “Well, I mean, I’d show you and all, but Ikki and Aria’ll be here pretty quick, so, y’know…” she trailed off, as if trying to say something suave and realizing she’d failed completely.

They lapsed into an awkward silence, but it was a surprisingly comfortable awkwardness. Asami realized rather suddenly that she’d adapted so quickly to all of these weird, awkward dorks around her because she was a weird, awkward dork herself. Korra, Ikki and the rest of Tenzin’s family, Bolin and Opal, Kya and Lin—they were good, genuine people who weren’t trying to pretend to be something they weren’t. They treated her like family because they saw her as family, not because they wanted her money or some favor from her. It remained a refreshing contrast to the many fair-weather, sometimes back-biting acquaintances she was used to.

They both relaxed after a moment as Asami closed her eyes and lounged back in the tub again. Over the sound of the rain she heard a car go by and then the puttering of a motorcycle.

“Did you have a hot tub back home?” Korra asked.

“A couple of them, one indoors and one outdoors,” Asami admitted, opening her eyes again. “As well as an indoor and an outdoor pool.”

“Fancy,” Korra commented.

“Something like fifty-thousand square feet sitting on sixty acres in rural New York,” Asami told her. “Three floors, almost a hundred rooms, a twelve-car garage, and a fully stocked workshop.”

“So, with your dad in prison, is your house just sitting empty now?”

“Just some hired caretakers,” Asami shook her head. “Is it weird that I don’t have any real desire to go back? I mean, it’s where I grew up, but right now I don’t really want to ever go back there.”

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Korra assured her, leaning one elbow on the rim of the hot tub and resting her cheek against her knuckles. “When you’ve got both good and bad memories about a place, I think it’s can be easy for the bad to outweigh the good.”

Asami was about to agree when Korra’s phone buzzed from next to where she’d stacked the towels.

“Huh, text from Ikki,” Korra said, as she picked up the phone and started typing a reply. “She says that Aria ended up having to go home, so they’ll take a raincheck on the hot tub. That’s weird: I could have sworn I heard Aria’s Harley a minute ago.”

“That’s not all bad,” Asami smirked a little, flipping her hair enticingly. “You said you’d show me your boobs if Ikki and Aria weren’t coming. It sounds to me like they’re not coming.”

Korra blushed, but sat up straighter so her breasts were no longer submerged. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?” she offered.

“Deal,” Asami laughed, sitting up as well. _Wow, we’re a pair of dorks_ , she smiled to herself.

As Korra reached back to unfasten her top, Asami slid her bathing suit from her shoulders. Slowly they eased their tops down, revealing a centimeter of boob-flesh at a time. After several seconds of teasing, areolas became visible, followed by nipples. Asami watched Korra’s eyes widen at the sight.

“So pretty…” Korra murmured, staring and setting her top aside.

Asami smiled and kept easing her swimsuit off, down her sides, past her waist. She lifted her bottom off the bench to slide her suit off over her hips, down her legs, then completely off. Sitting back, she draped her swimsuit over the side of the hot tub and smiled expectantly at Korra.

Blushing, Korra chewed her lower lip and stared for long moments. “You’re sure you want to do this?” she finally asked, sliding across the hot tub to kneel directly in front of Asami.

“Korra, I’m completely sure,” Asami promised her, reaching out to take Korra’s face in both hands. “You’ve not only given me a new life, you’ve become the most important part of it. I want to be the most important part of yours.” She leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “I’m falling in love with you, Korra. And right now, I have a desperate need to show you how much. Unless you’re not comfortable with this,” she added, sitting back as she suddenly realized she might be going too fast for Korra. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

 “No, it’s good,” Korra assured her, sliding off her trunks to drape them over the edge of the tub. “I just haven’t got laid in a long time,” she admitted, blushing. “I hope I’m not too badly out of practice.”

“It’s okay,” Asami assured her, smiling her gentlest smile. “That makes fewer bad habits I need to break you out of.”

She leaned in and drew their faces together; closing her eyes she kissed Korra, feeling their lips slide across each other. They kissed for several seconds before Korra pulled closer. Asami felt their breasts squish together as Korra slid forward to straddle her lap.

* * *

* * *

“ _You win_ ,” Aria signed, fishing twenty dollars from her wallet.

Ikki covered her mouth as they peeked through the ventilation blinds, kneeling in front of Korra’s back window. Naga sat beside them, unconcerned about whatever was going on.

They were doing it. They were actually _doing_ it. Korra and Asami were having _sex_ in the hot tub. They were so perfect and so great together, and Ikki had known that they would be. From that first moment when she met Asami at the airport, Ikki had _known_ that Asami would be an awesome girlfriend for Korra.

Korra straddled Asami’s lap, kissing and grinding as they made love. From her vantage point, Ikki caught a glimpse of one of Korra’s boobs as the lovers pulled back from a kiss. Asami’s hand reached out to squeeze it as Korra closed her eyes, rocking their bodies together.

And it was beautiful. Ikki felt tears to her eyes at the wonderful love her friends were making. Sobbing, she turned and crushed her face into Naga’s mighty shoulder.

Ikki cried from the hurt— _God_ but it hurt. It hurt so much admitting once again that Korra would never be for her—admitting that she would never get to be with the woman she loved.

But at the same time, Ikki was so happy for both of them. Yes, she was sad—sobbing and almost devastated. But she was still so _happy_ for Asami and Korra. Korra had suffered and endured _so_ much from her accident but stayed the kindest, nicest person in the whole world. She deserved someone as nice and pretty and amazing as Asami. Ikki didn’t know much about Asami’s situation, but clearly she’d been hurt and lost a lot as well. Neither of them deserved to be hurt like that, and Ikki was so happy for both of them.

Love was such a fucked-up concept, Ikki decided as she felt Aria hug her from behind.

And then there was Aria, Ikki thought as she released Naga, turning and wrapping her arms around Aria’s back. Aria who’d suffered the brunt of her parents’ divorce. Aria who’d been stripped from her dad, manipulated by her grandmother, and abused by her stepdad. Ikki’s pain from knowing she’d lost Korra—lost someone who’d never been for her in the first place—felt kind of selfish now, compared to what Korra and Asami and Aria had been through.

Aria deserved better than to be a replacement Korra, Ikki realized, clutching her friend’s back. She deserved better than to be a consolation prize, and Ikki decided it was time to start acting like it. She lifted her head, wiped her tears, and smiled at Aria.

“ _You okay?_ ” Aria asked, raising a brow as she signed.

“ _Yeah_ ,” Ikki assured her. “ _I just love them both so much, and I’m really, really happy for them_.”

“ _Me too_ ,” Aria signed, smiling back.

“ _I’m really happy you’re back, too_ ,” Ikki added. “ _I know I’ve said this before, but I missed you so much, and I’m really glad you’re back_.”

“ _We should leave them alone and let them do their thing,_ ” Aria suggested. “ _Wanna go do something else?_ ”

“ _What can we do still in our bathing suits?_ ” Ikki asked, raising a brow. Aria wore jeans and her unbuttoned shirt over the blue two-piece bathing suit she’d borrowed from Jinora—a fairly conservative sports number that showed no cleavage and only about four inches of tummy. Ikki wore jean shorts and a jacket over her favorite flower-patterned bikini.

“ _Fair point_ ,” Aria agreed, chuckling. “ _Wanna just come to my place and hang?_ ”

“ _Suits me_ ,” Ikki decided. “ _I’ll text Mom later and see if it’s okay for me to stay the night_.”

They slipped out front door, putting their helmets back on as Aria mounted her Harley. “ _Don’t have a wreck_ ,” Ikki signed. “ _I’m not wearing much padding._ ”

“ _Don’t worry; I’ll be careful,_ ” Aria signed back. “ _I’m carrying precious cargo, after all_ ,” she added, making Ikki blush a little.

The bike ride back to Aria’s dads’ house was rainy but pleasant, Ikki once again enjoying having her arms wrapped around Aria’s bare belly. It was a comforting feeling that Ikki decided she could get used to.

Tom, Aria’s second dad, was bringing in the recycling bin as they arrived.

“ _Hey, Tom. Is Dad home?_ ” Aria asked as they dismounted her bike.

Tom shook his head as they gathered in the open garage to get out of the rain. “ _He’s interpreting for a patient down at the hospital tonight,_ ” he explained. “ _Depending on how things go, he might not be back until morning. Hi, Ikki. I keep meaning to ask how your grandma’s doing_.”

“ _She’s still getting along okay,_ ” Ikki assured him. “ _She and Uncle Sokka are both still in pretty good shape for their age_.”

“ _Is it okay if Ikki stays the night?_ ” Aria asked.

Tom smirked at their swimming attire, but nodded and signed, “ _Okay_.”

They chatted with Tom a bit before heading inside and stepping down the hall to Aria’s bedroom. It was the first time Ikki had been in Aria’s room since before her parents’ divorce. Aria’s bed bore the Sailor Moon bedsheets that Korra’s mom got her for her tenth birthday. She’d gotten a new keyboard synthesizer since last time, and she’d added to her _Star Wars_ heroines action-figure collection. Aria apparently still liked to pair them off as couples or OT3s. Oola waltzed with Padme, Rey trained lightsabers with Barriss Offee, Jyn Erso held hands with Mara Jade and Paige Tico, and Jaina Solo rode on a speeder bike behind Aayla Secura. Ikki remembered fond afternoons spent picking and posing couples.

“ _I see you added Rey, Jyn, the Tico Sisters, and Captain Phasma_ ,” Ikki commented, indicating the figures. “ _I like that you’re still having them hold hands and stuff._ ”

“ _You’re the one who invented that game,_ ” Aria reminded her. “ _Every time I shopped for action figures it made me think of you. I missed you so much_ ,” she admitted, hugging Ikki from behind. Aria’s cheek pressed against Ikki’s temple.

“ _I missed you, too_ ,” Ikki agreed, turning around and smiling up at Aria’s freckly smile. She felt a sudden desire to kiss that pretty smile. “ _Being around you reminds me how much I’ve always had a crush on you. Will you… be my first kiss?_ ” she asked before she could talk herself out of it.

Aria raised her brows in surprise, but signed, “ _Okay_.”

With that, Aria brushed one of Ikki’s purple forelocks behind an ear and gently cupped the side of her head, guiding their faces together. Ikki felt herself shudder a bit, involuntarily, as their lips touched. Apparently having had some experience, Aria moved her lips slowly and softly across Ikki’s, parting them after several seconds. Ikki just held onto Aria’s shoulders as they kissed.

They continued to kiss for several seconds after, eventually sitting on Aria’s bed, their lips only parting for a second at a time as Aria shed her unbuttoned shirt. Ikki found herself breathing hard as Aria pulled her close. Though not as buff as Korra, Aria had great shoulders and strong arms. Ikki felt butterflies in her tummy as their tummies pressed together. A moan escaped as Aria laid her back on the bed.

They kissed and snuggled for a bit longer when Aria broke the kiss and rose to her knees above Ikki. Ikki started to pout from lack of kisses when Aria crossed her arms and pulled off the bathing suit top and tossed it aside.

Ikki felt her eyes go wide, and she scrambled back a bit, realizing how far Aria intended to go.

Seeing Ikki’s panic, Aria’s eyes went wide as well, and she grabbed up her shirt to cover her breasts. “ _I’m sorry!_ ” she signed, her elbows tucked to her sides to keep the shirt in place. “ _I’m so sorry! I misread your signals, didn’t I? I thought you wanted me to go all the way! I’m so sorry!_ ” She sobbed a little as she looked away, her face bright from embarrassment.

“ _It’s okay, it’s okay! I’m not upset_ ,” Ikki hastened to assure her. “ _You just surprised me, is all. I still want to be with you and go out with you and make out with you, I promise. I’m just not ready to go all the way yet, okay?_ ”

Aria wiped a tear and nodded, elbows still holding her shirt in place.

“ _Have you gone all the way before?_ ” Ikki asked. “ _I promise I won’t judge_.”

Aria seemed to hesitate before nodding and replying, “ _Yes._ _One time,_ ” she admitted. “ _Well, more like five or six times, but all with the same girl in the same night_.”

“ _That sounds pretty spectacular,_ ” Ikki signed, smiling to reassure her. “ _Someone you met in California?_ ”

Aria nodded, still holding her shirt in place with her elbows. “ _Yeah, she was a younger sister of one of my uncle’s friends. We were about the same age, but went to different schools. I didn’t really know her super well, but she was taking a Sign Language class and asked me to help, so we hit it off okay. I liked her and all, but neither of us really had feelings for each other. Letting her raw my brains out six times in a row was pretty much just teenage rebellion, though—I did it because I knew my mom and grandma would disapprove._ ”

“ _Was it fun?_ ”

“ _Yeah, it was a lot of fun_ ,” Aria nodded. “ _But I promise you mean a lot more to me than that—you mean more than a few hours of fun._ ”

“ _I believe you,_ ” Ikki assured her before reaching over to tug the shirt away. “ _I still want to spend the night with you,_ ” she admitted, “ _but is it okay if we keep everything above the waist?_ ”

“ _Okay,_ ” Aria promised. They both smiled as they snuggled together.

* * *

* * *

Asami awoke spooned up behind Korra in a tangle of NFL bedsheets. She frowned as she realized Korra was shivering.

“Korra, what’s wrong?” she asked, resting her cheek next to Korra’s ear. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll b–be okay,” Korra murmured. “I think I’m having a panic attack. Can you just hold me for a while?”

“I’m already holding you,” Asami promised, squeezing against her back. “I’ll hold you as long as you need me to. Are you panicking because we had sex?”

“Y–yes, I think so,” Korra murmured, visibly fighting to regain control of her breathing. “I mean, I’m not trying to say that we _shouldn’t_ have. It was awesome, and I r–really want to do it again sometime. I–I really like you, Asami,” she added, turning partway toward her. Asami felt Korra’s left hand take her right, their fingers intertwining. “I’m really into you, and I know you’re not gonna up and leave or die all of a sudden or anything. But I’m terrified, and I don’t know why.”

“It’s okay,” Asami assured her, resting her forehead against Korra’s temple. “It’s okay to be scared. I’m kind of nervous too. I’m also really into you, and I realize things are progressing really fast between us—and I’m as surprised about it as you are. If you’re ever worried we’re moving too fast, let me know, okay? I want for us to both be comfortable and on the same page in our relationship.”

“Okay,” Korra nodded, her breathing still a little ragged but calming noticeably. “I’m sorry I’m still such a mess.”

“It’s okay, I promise,” Asami assured her once again. “Anxiety disorders tend to make messes of people. But I promise we’re going to work through things, as a couple.”

Korra stayed quiet for a long moment. “I… I love you, Asami,” she finally said.

“I love you too,” Asami agreed, kissing her cheek. “Though I think we should tell Ikki in person, instead of, like, texting her. It’ll be adorable to watch her gush about it.”

“I… think she might already know,” Korra mused. “I’m pretty sure I heard Aria’s Harley enter and leave our driveway while we were in the hot tub last night: first before Ikki texted me, and then later while we were hard at it.”

“So you think those naughty girls spied on us?” Asami asked, considering.

“Yeah, I think they saw us in the hot tub together and decided to see where it went if they left us alone,” Korra nodded, chuckling a little.

“Can’t fault them too much,” Asami decided, snuggling closer to Korra. “I _like_ where it went.”

“I like where it went, too,” Korra smiled, leaning in for a quick smooch.

Asami hesitated a moment before asking, “Want it to go there again?”

Korra smiled but shook her head, resting it against Asami’s shoulder. “Not tonight. Just stay here with me, okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

* * *

“Here’s your bathing suit back,” Ikki said, tossing Jinora’s swimsuit in their hamper. “Aria wants to know where you got it.”

“Thanks,” Jinora said, only briefly looking up from her book. “I think Aunt Kya bought me that one, so Aria’ll have to ask her.”

“New book?” Ikki asked, frowning at the title, _Hannibal: the Novel_.

“Kind of. I found it in a used bookstore near campus a few months ago and was curious, but this is the first chance I’ve had to read it,” Jinora confirmed as Ikki lounged back on her bed.

“Why’s there an elephant on the cover?” Ikki asked, confused. She’d only seen parts of _Silence of the Lambs_ , but she was pretty sure there were no elephants in it. In fact, she was pretty sure Jinora hated that movie.

“Different Hannibal,” Jinora told her.

“Oh.” That made more sense. “Is it any good?”

“As gritty, graphic historical fiction goes, it’s competent, but not all that remarkable so far,” Jinora admitted. “Have fun spending the night with Aria?” she asked next.

“Oh, um, yeah,” Ikki answered hesitantly, looking away as she felt herself blush.

She could almost hear Jinora’s head turn toward her suspiciously. _Dammit, why do I have to be so transparent?_ Ikki asked herself, grimacing.

“Ikki, what happened?” Jinora asked, suspicion coating her question.

“Nothing! I swear!” she answered, turning away guiltily.

“Ikki,” Jinora prompted. Ikki felt Jinora’s weight on the bed behind her. “Are you okay?” Jinora asked quietly. “Did things not go well with Aria?”

“What? No, I mean yes, I mean…” Ikki fumbled, rolling back over to look up at her sister. “I mean, things went great, okay? We had a really nice night.”

Jinora seemed to frown at that. “Did you… _sleep_ with her?”

“ _No!_ Well, kinda…?” Ikki started to protest. “I mean, we slept together in that we fell asleep snuggled up on her bed. But we didn’t ‘ _sleep_ ’ sleep together. We–we made out, and it was _awesome_ , but we kept everything above the waist, I promise!”

Expecting a scolding, Ikki found herself startled when Jinora lay down beside her and hugged her tight.

“I’m so glad,” she said next to Ikki’s ear. “You both deserve someone as weird and gay and dorky as the other of you, and I’m really, really glad you’re together now. I think it’s great that you got to make out with her, and I’d support you even if you _had_ slept together.”

“Thanks, Jinora,” Ikki replied, hugging her back. “I don’t say this as often as I should, but you’re a pretty okay sister.”

“You’re a goofy pain in my butt, but you’re an okay sister, too,” Jinora returned. “And I really hope everything works between you and Aria.”

They lay quietly on Ikki’s bed as Meelo started practicing on his trombone down the hall.

“We took turns blowing motor-boat noises on each other’s boobs,” Ikki admitted after a moment.

Jinora snorted a laugh, then pressed her forehead to Ikki’s shoulder, chuckling. The bed shook slightly at Jinora’s noiseless laughter, and Ikki was pretty sure she felt a hiccup or two.

“God, you two are weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after this chapter there'll be a short-but-sweet epilogue to cap off the story. I'm hoping, however, to visit this AU again in the future. I love how the world-building turned out, and I very much want to play with Aria's character some more. I have a couple partial scenes written, in fact, to a sequel where Aria tries to reconcile with her mother, which in turn inspires Asami to try to reconcile with her dad. Fingers crossed that I get the chance to revisit that. (Also, I fully head-canon that Korra, Ikki, and Asami prefer the word 'boobs' over 'breasts' or 'tits.')
> 
> In other news, I've posted the first chapters for each of the Korra AUs I was considering pursuing next. Though the Ancient Rome AU was pretty clearly the favorite among my readers, I felt it most fair to post excerpts from each story to give readers a better idea of what I have in mind for each. Chapters can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15759489/chapters/36654561)! Feedback is welcome!


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ends with a wedding, but not the wedding we all expected!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! So, so sorry about the delay. To make it up to everyone, I commissioned a special portrait from an artist friend, included at the end of the epilogue. As always, feedback is most welcome!

_In the not-too-distant future:_

Asami wiped a tear, watching the beautiful couple striding back down the aisle, arm in arm. Her other hand held Korra’s, their fingers intertwined. The wedding was held in late May at a local ski resort a few hours north of Republic City. The eighty-odd guests sat in folding chairs, Korra and Asami getting second-row seats behind Tenzin's family. 

Ikki wore a white, sleeveless wedding gown of a similar style to the one Korra wore almost four years ago now (she’d initially asked to _borrow_ Korra’s dress, but it was way too big across the bust, back, shoulders, waist, and… well, pretty much everywhere). Asami glanced down at the ring on her finger and the matching ring on Korra’s, remembering how happy they’d been and how far they’d come since. 

Aria stood beside Ikki as the guests filtered down the aisle to congratulate the dearly beloved. She wore a tuxedo shirt and vest with a sporran and kilt in her family’s red, green, and tan tartan. Aria’s golden-brown hair was longer now, pulled back in a short, tight braid at her shoulders. Bolin had once commented that it was a ‘retro’ hairstyle: very 1780’s, only missing a tricorn hat, riding coat, and rapier. 

(Naturally, Aria and Ikki now owned matching tricorn hats, riding coats, and rapiers. The rapiers were Scottish basket-hilts, straight from an armorer Aria’s granddad knew from Glasgow. Asami was a little surprised they hadn’t worn them for the wedding.)

“Congratulations, you two,” Asami spoke and signed when the line finally made it to them, a minute or two later.

“Mm, thank you so much!” Ikki said, hugging Asami as Aria hugged Korra.

" _And g_ _ood luck on the honeymoon, kiddos,_ " Korra added before swapping her hug to Ikki.

" _Yeah, I'm envious,_ " Asami agreed. " _I hear the Scottish Highlands are beautiful this time of year_."

" _Rainy, though,_ " Aria admitted. " _And we've both had to brush up on our British Sign Language, since there probably won't be many ASL interpreters there_."

" _Mm, I love you guys so much. Thanks for being here!_ " Ikki told them. " _And thanks for everything_."

“ _And thanks for paying for the band_ ,” Aria added before giving Asami another quick hug.

“ _Hey, you two are worth it_ ,” Asami assured them. “ _Rochelle and I even worked out a special surprise, just for Ikki_ ,” she added. Rochelle Daniels was a small-time, independent singer/songwriter who’d gotten her start as a Patsy Cline tribute-artist. Herself bisexual, Rochelle had been delighted at the offer to perform at a lesbian wedding and had been perfectly accommodating to Asami’s requests.

Not that her services were cheap, granted, but Ikki and Aria were worth it.

“ _Ooh, can’t wait_!” Ikki assured her as the line moved on. “ _See you on the dancefloor!_ ”

Asami took Korra’s arm as they made their way down the hill to the reception area. The line fanned out a bit as people milled their way toward the tables and dancefloor.

Ahead of them, two of Aria’s cousins struggled to keep their balance as they made their way down the gravel pathway in their stiletto heels. Ever the gentleman, Sokka stepped in and offered each young woman an arm. Asami smiled, watching the slightly stooped, ninety-two-year-old Sokka standing a little straighter with a beautiful, golden-haired twenty-something on each arm.

“Look at those two nice girls, helping that poor old guy down the hill,” Katara said loudly as Pema escorted her down the path behind Asami.

Sokka stopped and started chuckling as people around them laughed. The older of the two girls laughed and turned to sign Katara’s comment to the other.

Asami noticed Tenzin and Kya talking with Aria’s mom and uncle near the drinks table as the guests gathered at various tables. Her mom looked slightly ill at ease being there, but Asami was glad to see they’d reconciled enough that Aria felt comfortable inviting her to the wedding.

Korra and Asami sat down with Jinora and Bumi at a table near the dancefloor. Around them Ikki’s friends and family and Aria’s friends and family gathered at tables while Rochelle and her band finished warming up and tuning their instruments. Asami had met some of Aria’s family, but had never seen so many of them in one place. With almost a third of her family being Deaf, nearly all of them spoke at least conversational American Sign Language, and several of them, like Aria’s dad, were proficient enough to work as interpreters professionally.

As a result, many of the conversations at different tables were signed, rather than spoken. Though not as proficient as Korra or Ikki, Asami was able to follow parts of the conversations at neighboring tables. Two of Aria’s aunts and a cousin chatted about local politics, favorably contrasting Mayor Moon with former Mayor Raiko. At another table, Aria’s dad’s mother and a couple cousins shared gaming experiences from the latest _Assassin’s Creed_. Another couple relatives made underhanded comments about Aria’s mom being there—which Asami didn’t really approve of, but she understood why there’d be a lot of residual bitterness.

“It’s so cool to see all these people signing,” Jinora commented as the caterers set bottles of wine and cider at their table.

“I was just thinking that, too,” Asami agreed.

“Well, and Ikki dating Aria really helped motivate me to keep in practice,” Bumi admitted. “I guess I’d gotten a little rusty there for a while. It was amazing how much I started to remember after Aria moved back to Republic City and started coming around all the time.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever asked why you learned ASL in the first place, Bumi,” Asami commented. “I assume you knew some of Aria’s older relatives?”

“I did,” Bumi grinned a little. “Aria’s great-uncle Douglass—that’s her grandpa’s younger brother—was in my grade back in elementary school when their family first moved to Republic City. Great guy—wicked smart and a heck of a baseball player all through school. He played Minor League Baseball for a lot of years and should’ve played pro for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he didn’t get along with one of the managers real well. Anyway, we got to be real good buddies, and a bunch of us guys learned Sign just so we could talk to him better. Why, I remember this one time—!” he began, cutting off as Korra got to her feet suddenly.

“ _I know you!_ ” Korra signed, smiling as a tallish brunette stepped up to hug her. “ _Asami, this is Ruthie,_ ” she introduced after the hug. “ _She’s one of Aria’s older cousins, we were good friends and played softball together all through school, and she’s the reason I learned Sign in the first place. Ruthie_ ,” she continued, turning back to her friend, “ _this is my awesome and beautiful wife, Asami_.”

“ _It’s wonderful to meet you!_ ” Asami greeted, standing to accept Ruthie’s handshake. “ _Korra, Ikki, and Aria have all told me so much about you._ ”

“ _Korra and Aria have told me a lot about you, too,_ ” Ruthie signed back, smiling. “ _You teach business and engineering out at RCCC?_ ”

“ _Yes! And they told me you’re a college professor as well, out at MIT?_ ” Asami answered.

“ _That’s right,_ ” Ruthie confirmed.

“ _It’s so good to see you!_ ” Jinora added, stepping around to give Ruthie a one-armed hug. “ _Sit with us?_ ” she offered.

“ _I’d love to,_ ” Ruthie agreed, taking the seat between Korra and Jinora.

“ _I was glad to hear you were coming out for the wedding,_ ” Korra said as Bumi poured wine. “ _It’s been a lot of years, and I’ve missed hanging out_.”

“ _We’ll have to hang out while I’m in town_ ,” Ruthie agreed. “ _Although, I did get to see a lot of you last time I was here—like, way too much of you. As in, we all got an eyeful of drunk Korra boobs, in fact_ ,” she added, smirking as Korra blushed.

“ _Hah! I’ve heard that story!_ ” Bumi signed, laughing.

“ _I’ve heard this too,_ ” Jinora smirked. “ _Something about a drunk game of Truth-or-Dare?_ ”

“ _Don’t be mean,_ ” Asami teased. “ _I get an eyeful of Korra boobs every day, and, frankly, it’s more therapeutic than a hot bath any day_.”

“ _You people are monsters,_ ” Korra sulked, pouting that cute pout of hers.

Jinora leaned forward to sign something else when the music picked up from the stage. Asami smiled as Rochelle’s band started playing the opening melody to Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero.”

Korra covered her mouth with both hands and murmured, “Oh, my god…”

Jinora’s eyes grew huge as she looked over at the stage. “ _Asami, you didn’t…?_ ” she stared to sign.

“ _I did!_ ” Asami signed back before turning to watch Ikki as she stood near the cake with Aria and her dads.

“ _Where have all the good gals gone,_ ” Rochelle started singing Ikki’s cover. Beside the stage, an interpreter named Ted sang the lyrics in Sign Language. “ _And where are all the gods? Where’s the streetwise Amazon to fight the rising odds? Isn’t there a white knight upon her fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn, and I dream of what I neeeeeeed!_ ”

Asami watched Ikki’s reaction as Rochelle sang. She looked over from her conversation and covered her mouth with one hand, weeping. Scanning the tables, she made eye contact with Asami, then ran around between the tables toward her.

Asami stood just in time to catch Ikki’s power hug. She managed to brace herself just enough to keep from being knocked back into her chair.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Ikki wept from Asami’s shoulder, clutching her back as hard as she could. “That’s _my_ song! You had Rochelle sing one of _my_ songs!”

“No, I gave her a whole _list_ of your songs,” Asami corrected, smiling down at her as they stepped back without letting go. Ikki smiled gratefully with tears on both cheeks.

“I love you so much; thank you for being so amazing and pretty and cool and–and for everything,” Ikki murmured, putting her chin on Asami’s shoulder again.

“And thank _you_ for being so amazing and pretty and cool and for everything,” Asami countered. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final portrait of Ikki and Aria, commissioned from the lovely [Lazy-Tyke](http://lazy-tyke.tumblr.com/post/180642363449/im-opening-up-commissions-rules-info-will)! So everyone is aware, Ikki is making the sign for 'lesbian', teasingly calling her girlfriend 'gay' while they're snuggling. I really struggled to come up with an ending I was satisfied with. Originally I planed to end with Bolin and Opal's wedding, then considered going with Korra and Asami's wedding. I'm not sure what prompted me to consider Ikki and Aria's wedding, but I liked how it wrapped a few things up, so I went with it. I hope everyone enjoyed it.  
> The character Ruthie is named for my friend Ruthie who is Deaf and was the original inspiration for writing Aria as Deaf.  
> So, for everyone who's not aware, I launched the first chapter of my [Korra Roman AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989447/chapters/39935562) about a week ago. It won the votes pretty handily--huge thanks to everyone who voted! And, if anyone is interested, I posted an old [_Star Wars: the Old Republic_ fan fiction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17254505) as well, mostly to see if there's any interest there. As always, thanks so much for reading, folks!  
>  Addendum: so for those who aren't aware, I've been writing and adding Ikki's cover songs to this story, following the epilogue. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on them!


	9. Ikki Covers: Holding Out for a Heroine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My idea for having Ikki write lesbian cover songs came from having occasionally come up with lyrics for lesbian covers. I've thought about posting some of Ikki's covers at the end of the story and have gotten the go-ahead from at least one reader to post what I've written. One of the first was Bonnie Tyler's "Holding out for a Hero." Since it came up twice in the story, I thought it'd be a good place to start. Feedback is always welcome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ikki's note: "For the meter and rhyme scheme to work, you kinda have to pronounce it like 'hero' with an 'n' at the end of it. And not like 'heron', the wading bird. It's kinda awkward, I know. Sorry."

Where have all the good gals gone  
And where are all the gods?  
Where’s the streetwise Amazon to fight the rising odds?  
Isn’t there a white knight upon her fiery steed?  
Late at night I toss and I turn  
And I dream of what I need

I need a heroine   
I’m holding out for a heroine ‘til the end of the night  
She’s gotta be strong  
And she’s gotta be fast  
And she’s gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the morning light  
She’s gotta be sure  
And it’s gotta be soon  
And she’s gotta be larger than life!  
Larger than life

Somewhere after midnight  
In my wildest fantasy  
Somewhere just beyond my reach  
I know she’s reaching back for me  
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat  
It’s gonna take a supergirl to sweep me off my feet 

I need a heroine   
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the end of the night  
She’s gotta be strong  
And she’s gotta be fast  
And she’s gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the morning light  
She’s gotta be sure  
And it’s gotta be soon  
And she’s gotta be larger than life  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the end of the night 

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above  
Out where the lightning splits the sea  
I could swear she’s out there, somewhere watching me  
Through the wind, and the chill, and the rain  
And the storm, and the flood  
I can feel her approach like a fire in my blood 

I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the end of the night  
She’s gotta be strong and she’s gotta be fast  
And she’s gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the morning light  
She’s gotta be sure  
And it’s gotta be soon  
And she’s gotta be larger than life  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the end of the night  
She’s gotta be strong and she’s gotta be fast  
And she’s gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the morning light  
She’s gotta be sure  
And it’s gotta be soon  
And she’s gotta be larger than life  
I need a heroine  
I’m holding out for a heroine 'til the end of the night 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading folks! For those who don't know, the first chapter of my [Korra Roman AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989447/chapters/39935562) for anyone interested. Thanks again and take care!


	10. Ikki Covers: John Deere Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WLW cover for Joe Diffy's "John Deere Green"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ikki notes: I feel like "John Deere Green" is one of the most healthy love songs in Country/Western Music. And I think the reason it's so healthy is because it's about a dorky relationship. Granted, painting your crush's name on a water tower is kind of a redneck flavor of dorky, but it's still a sweet and silly gesture. Unfortunately, Republic City doesn't have a water tower for me to paint Aria's name on, and painting it on an overpass just doesn't have the right flair.

They were farm chicks way down in Dixie   
They met in high school in the ‘Sixties.  
Everyone knew it was love from the start  
One July in the midnight hour,   
Peg climbed upon the water tower,  
Stood on the rail and painted a ten-foot heart 

In John Deere Green, on a hot summer night  
She wrote, ‘Peggy-Ann loves Charlene,’ in letters three foot high  
And the whole town said the girl should’ve use red   
But it looked good to Charlene in John Deere Green

They settled down on eighty acres  
Raising sweet corn, kids, and tomatoes  
They went together like a hand and a glove  
On a clear day, from their front yard  
If you look and know what to look for  
Off to the east you can still read her words of love

In John Deere Green, on a hot summer night  
She wrote, ‘Peggy-Ann loves Charlene,’ in letters three foot high  
And the whole town said the girl should’ve use red   
But it looked good to Charlene in John Deere Green

Now more than once the town has discovered   
Painting over it ain’t no use  
There ain’t no paint in the world that’ll cover it  
The heart keeps showing through

In John Deere Green, on a hot summer night  
She wrote, ‘Peggy-Ann loves Charlene,’ in letters three foot high.  
And the whole town said the butch should’ve used red   
But it looked good to Charlene in John Deere green

In John Deere Green, on a hot summer night  
She wrote, ‘Peggy-Ann loves Charlene,’ in letters three foot high  
And the whole town said the girl should’ve use red   
But it looked good to Charlene in John Deere Green 


	11. Ikki Covers: The Mom she Didn't Have to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WLW cover of Brad Paisley's "The Dad he Didn't Have to Be"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ikki's notes: This one was a little tricky because of that line about meeting 'the man I call my dad.' The narrator has already established they've got a mom, and so just changing 'dad' to 'mom' creates some confusion, and calling her 'mom II' just sounds rude. Jinora finally suggested giving mom II a name to prevent that kind of misunderstanding. I think I like it better this way.

When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new  
It always winds up feeling more like a job interview  
My mama used to wonder if she'd ever meet someone  
Who wouldn't find out about me and then turn around and run

I met the mom I call Brienne when I was five years old  
She took mama out to a movie and for once I got to go  
A few months later I remember lying there in bed  
I overheard Brie pop the question, and I prayed that mom'd say yes

And then all of a sudden ah it seemed so strange to me  
How we went from something's missing to a family  
Lookin' back all I can say about all the things Brie did for me  
Is I hope I'm at least half the mom that she didn't have to be

I met the girl who's now my wife about three years ago  
We had the perfect marriage but we wanted somethin' more  
Now here I stand surrounded by our family and friends  
Crowded 'round the nursery window as they bring the baby in

And then all of a sudden ah it seemed so strange to me  
How we had gone from something's missing to a family  
Lookin' through the glass I think about the butch that's standing next to me  
And I hope I'm at least half the mom that she didn't have to be

Lookin' back all I can say about all the things she did for me  
Is I hope I'm at least half the mom that she didn't have to be

I hope I'm at least half the mom that she didn't have to be  
'Cause she didn't have to be  
You know she didn't have to be


End file.
